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February 2023 Newsletter
Issue #72
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In the U.S., there are approximately 6.79 million Native American people -- about 2% of the total population
Land Ownership
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33% of Native Americans live on reservations, with another 26% living in counties surrounding tribal areas.
- The vast majority of land on reservations is held communally. This means residents can’t get clear title to the land where their home sits and one reason for the abundance of mobile homes on reservations. This makes it hard for Native Americans to establish credit and borrow money to improve their homes because they can’t use the land as collateral.
Poverty
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Native Americans have the highest poverty rate among all minority groups. The national poverty rate for Native Americans is 25.4%.
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The poverty rate for American Indians living on reservations is 29.4 % compared with the U.S. national average of 15.3%. The reservation poverty rate for Indian families is 36%, compared to the national family poverty rate of 9.2%.
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The median net worth of Native Americans is estimated to be $10,953 or 9% of the U.S. median of $121,700.
Unemployment
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The unemployment rate for Native Americans is 6.1% whereas the national unemployment rate is 3.5%.
Income
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The median income of American Indian and Alaska Native households is $43,825 -- substantively lower than average U.S. household income of $87,864.
Housing
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Homeownership rates for Native Americans is 50.8% -- substantially lower than the U.S. rate of 66%.
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The median home value for Native Americans is $135,200 or 32% of the median home in the U.S. which is $428,700.
Health
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22.9% of Native American adults are in fair or poor health.
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The infant mortality rate for Native peoples is 7.68 per 1,000 live births, compared to 5.4 for the rest of the country.
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26.4% of Native people live without health insurance coverage, compared to 8.6% for all Americans.
Domestic Abuse
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More than 80% of American Indians have experienced violence in their lifetime, and more than 33% experienced violence in the past year.
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American Indian and Alaska Native women are 1.2 times as likely as White women to have experienced violence in their lifetime and 1.7 times as likely to have experienced violence in the past year.
Criminal Justice System
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Native Americans are incarcerated at a rate 38% higher than the national average.
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Native American youth are 3 times as likely as white youth to be held in a juvenile detention facility.
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Native American youth are 30% more likely than Whites to be referred to juvenile court than have charges dropped.
Victims of Crime
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Native Americans fall victim to violent crime at more than double the rate of all other US citizens. 88% of violent crime committed against Native American women is carried out by non-Native perpetrators.
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There are estimated to be about 4,200 missing and murdered Native Americans that are unsolved.
Suicide
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There are 21.5 suicides per 100,000 people -- more than 3.5 times higher than those among racial/ethnic groups with the lowest rates.
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35% of native American suicide victims are 10–24 years old (compared to 11% of whites).
Life Expectancy
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Life expectancy for Native Americans is 58.6 years. The U.S. average is 77 years.
Harassment
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More than 30% of Native Americans report experiences of slurs, offensive comments, threats or harassment, and violence.
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'Above the Law’: Responding to Domestic Violence on Indian Reservations
A PBS story about how Native American women in the U.S. face some of the highest levels of violence of any group. The Justice Department says acts of sexual assault against Native American women are most frequently committed by non-Indian men, who are generally immune to prosecution in tribal courts.
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Heathen:
Religion and Race in American History
By Kathryn Gin Lum. In a sweeping historical narrative, shows how the idea of the religious "heathen" in need of salvation, maintained from the colonial era to the present, undergirds American conceptions of race. Shows that the concept of "heathens" is a key source of American exceptionalism and a prism through which Americans have defined themselves as a progressive and humanitarian nation -- set apart in a world of needy, suffering peoples. Read more.
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Education is a Fundamental Right
for Every Child
A TED Talk featuring Makhtoum Abdalla, displaced as a child in Sudan and now living with his family in the Otash camp in Darfur, shares his biggest dream: to ensure all children are educated and taught the skills needed to become "captains of their destiny." He points out that for children growing up in refugee camps, education is a powerful tool of liberation. Watch now.
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The Multibillion-Dollar U.S. Prison Industry -- and How to Dismantle It
A TED Talk featuring criminal justice advocate and TED Fellow Bianca Ty, who discusses the predatory nature of the billion-dollar prison telecom industry and presents straightforward strategies to dismantle the network of corporations that has a financial interest in seeing more people behind bars for longer periods of time. Watch now.
For more on the Criminal Justice System,
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A New Way of Life Reentry Project
Promotes healing, power, and opportunity for formerly incarcerated people by taking a multifaceted approach to mitigating the effects of, and ultimately eliminating, mass incarceration. Offers housing & development, legal services, family reunification and advocacy and leadership services. Learn more.
For more on the Criminal Justice System,
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A New Social Contract for
Global Climate Justice
A TED Talk featuring Huma Yusu, who shares a vision for global climate diplomacy where the countries responsible for pollution pay reparations for the damage they've caused, while developing countries bring forward a clean, green future. Includes a Q&A session afterwards. Watch now.
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Women, Earth, and Creator Spirit
By Elizabeth A. Johnson. A revised edition of the same title published in 1990s, argues that the environment has only been degraded more, and the status of women has been eroded by the rise of religious fundamentalism in almost every culture. Draws out the links between attitudes toward women and the way we treat the natural world around us. If nature is somehow perceived as “feminine,” then it is no surprise that it is heedlessly abused and used, especially when both women and the earth exist under the sovereignty of a patriarchal God.
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Welcome Corps
A new service opportunity for Americans to welcome refugees seeking freedom and safety and, in turn, make a difference in their own communities. Together, sponsor groups welcome refugee newcomers by securing and preparing initial housing, greeting refugee newcomers at the airport, enrolling children in school, and helping adults to find employment. Provides experts to guide each step of the way. Learn more.
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Cobalt Red:
How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives
By Siddharth Kara. Cobalt is an essential component to every lithium-ion rechargeable battery made today -- the batteries that power our smartphones, tablets, laptops, and electric vehicles. Roughly 75% of the world’s supply of cobalt is mined in the Democratic Republic of the Congo -- often by peasants and children in sub-human conditions. To uncover the truth about the mining practices there, the author investigated militia-controlled mining areas, traced the supply chain of child-mined cobalt from toxic pit to consumer tech giants, and gathered testimonies of the people involved. The author's investigation chronicles the human rights abuses and its moral implications by exposing the immense toll of the mining on the people and the environment.
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My Neighbor's Voice
Creates purposeful and productive community connections. Using "Listening Cards" and a moderated format, provides a safe and hospitable space in which everyone is invited to share their personal stories, thoughts, and opinions about how to best live together. The Listening Cards cover nine categories: Hello Neighbor, Political Thought, Our Society, Environment and Health, Civic Rights and Responsibilities, American Culture, Sacred Thought, Our World, and Home and Hearth. The purpose of the program is to allow participants to share their stories with the freedom to speak openly about the things that matter most. Sample questions are: What does liberty and justice mean to you? What is the most important skill you learned in your life and how did you learn it? What do you think is the value of religious institutions in our community or our nation? Learn more.
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Good on You
One of the world’s leading sources of fashion brand ratings. Works to contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #12: “Ensure sustainable production and consumption patterns.” Gathers information and uses expert analysis to give each brand an easy-to-understand score. Their ethical rating system, advice and information helps lead the way to a more sustainable and fair fashion industry. Learn more.
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Unruly Saint: Dorothy Day's Radical Vision and its Challenge for Our Times
By D.L. Mayfield. Brings a personal lens to Dorothy Day's story. In exploring the founding of the Catholic Worker movement and newspaper by revisiting the early years of Day's life, the author turns her attention to what it means to be a good neighbor today. Through a combination of biography, observations on the current American landscape, and theological reflection, this is both an account and a blueprint for people of faith in tumultuous times. Read more.
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Witnesses on the Way
By Charlene and Michael Howard. A Lenten resource from Pax Christi. This year’s booklet features reflections for Sundays and Holy Days from Ash Wednesday through Easter Sunday written Charlene is the National Council Chair of Pax Christi USA and Michael is the founder of Eat The Scroll Ministries. (Michael’s reflections for each Sunday include brief reflections on the six African American Catholics who are on the path to sainthood.) Reflections for different weekdays throughout Lent are offered from new Ambassadors of Peace Sr. Pegge Boehm, PBVM; Pearlette Springer, Ph.D.; Kathy O’Leary; Mary Hanna; and Sr. Jane Morrissey, SSJ,
among others.
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Social Justice Resource Center
We've recently added new Facts & Figures to our Actions ideas tab -- including definitions, history, success rates and examples for such topics as: Civil Disobedience, Community Organizing, Fair Trade, Micro-finance, Politics, Public Witness, Simple Living, Socially Responsible Investing, Volunteering & Service. Learn more.
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Important Dates This Month
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Individuals Honored This Month |
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February Birth Date Unknown
I prayed for twenty years but received no answer until I prayed with my legs.
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For any human being, freedom is essential, crucial to our dignity and our ability to be fully human.
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February 4th
As far back as I can remember, I knew there was something wrong with our way of life when people could be mistreated because of the color of their skin.
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February 4th
If I sit next to a madman as he drives a car into a group of innocent bystanders, I can’t, as a Christian, simply wait for the catastrophe, then comfort the wounded and bury the dead. No, I must try to wrestle the steering wheel out of the hands of the driver.
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February 7th
When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. But when I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a communist.
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February 11th
It is so easy to break down and destroy. The heroes are those who make peace and build.
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February 12th
The death of the forest is the end of our life.
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February 23rd
What a world this will be when human possibilities are freed, when we discover each other, when the stranger is no longer the potential criminal and the certain inferior!
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February 27th
There are many people ready to do what is right because in their hearts they know it is right. But they hesitate, waiting for the other person to make the make the first move - and the other person, in turn, waits for you.
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