Native Heritage Month
As we get further into the season of downpours and watching the leaves turn color, it is also an opportunity for non-Natives to intentionally celebrate and acknowledge the history of Indigenous peoples. November is Native Heritage Month!
Today, Indigenous people have the highest rate of poverty in the United States—one quarter, or 1.4 million—live below the poverty line; and we are still shouldering the burden of a pandemic that has only widened the educational, health, and economic disparities that already existed. Land Back: A Necessary Act of Reparations - Non Profit News | Nonprofit Quarterly
The impacts of colonization have led to a high rate of homelessness which started with Indigenous removal and continued through allotment and land theft. As a housing provider, REACH recognizes our responsibility to include the voices and experiences of Indigenous communities to help inform our work. We must see ourselves as part of the solution to ensuring accessible and affordable housing to those most impacted.
Each of us can build awareness and take steps to reclaim Native truth; to intentionally celebrate Native Heritage. Below are a few places to start.
- Learn about the land we are on native-land.ca/.
- Rethink your November by remembering the roots of Thanksgiving and celebrate Indigenous peoples all year long
- Check out some local resources Native American Heritage Month | Multnomah County Library
- Outliving Thanksgiving: The Story of Thankstaking (Third Annual) Tickets, Sat, Nov 27, 2021 at 2:00 PM
