Response to Ted Talk: Inspiring Social Change through
community organizing
After you view the ted talk please answer the following questions below a APA
format 1-2 page reflective essay (yes you can use "I"). After your write-up please
include a reference page with two creditable sources (one can be this ted-talk
above):
1. What cause would you want to give your time and attention to, in
regards to community health or in your own community? Why is this
cause important to you? Why do you care about? Do you have a
story related to this cause, if so please share? (environmental health,
affordable housing, food insecurity, healthcare coverage, mental health,
etc)
2. A community health because I would like to devote my time and energy to is the
indigenous population. This cause is important to me because I am an Afro-indigenous
women. I am concerned that this population is left helpless and un-treated. This
community does not have access to clean water and nutritious food. Food on
Reservation have a high tax and well the cheapest option is bread. A story I would like
to share is about from a man by the name Gary Wis-Ki-Ge-Amatyuk Jr., A Potawatomi
Native who performs hoop dances at Knott's Berry Farm located at the Indian Trails'
center stage. He talked about how people in his community often suffered from food
insecurity. People in his community ate Fry Bread because it was the only food available
to survive. He talked about how his community once had nutritious food available to
them, they ate buffalo and only hunted what they would need. Unfortunately, some
places in the U.S. do not let natives hunt buffalo because they would become extinct.
The thing was Buffalos only came to almost extinction because white hunter was using
as sport and well wanted the indigenous people to starve. On reservation it is treated
like a sovereignty, they do not have local police to assist them rather their missing cases
and murders are supposed to be solved by the federal bureau of investigation. Meaning
they cases do not traction unsolved.
3. What types of populations does this cause effect?
It affects the indigenous population and their treatment from the government.
4. What are some of the statistics with this cause? Positive and negative.
The National Crime Information Center received 5,712 reports of missing American Indian and
Alaska Native women and girls in 2016. Surprisingly, only 116 cases have been reported in the
United States Department of Justice's missing persons database. Non-Natives commit the vast
majority of these murders on Native-owned land. The lack of communication, combined with
jurisdictional issues between state, local, federal, and tribal law enforcement, makes starting
the investigation nearly impossible.
5. What are some local organizations in our/your community that assist
with this cause? How can you get involved? How can you show up?
There are many organizations that talk about missing cases of indigenous women
and children. Indigenous people trust these sources rather than police and
government. Here are a couple known ones, Urban Indian Health Institute, Native
Women Wilderness and Native Hope.
6. What does community health mean to you (no wrong or right answer
here)?
It means that there is hope, that one day women and children in these
communities will not have to worry about lose members of their community. It
also means my community will be protected from genocide.
7. What do you hope to get out of this class? or learn about?
I expect to learn ways on how to care for my community and maybe one day improve their
safety and health.