It seems like exciting things are happening for oppressed peoples lately. Palestinians obtaining international support for statehood and recognition by the UN and various Native American movements gaining momentum. These are personal victories of mine as they hit very close to home. I’m of very mixed heritage involving Lebanese, Irish, Native American (Sioux) as well as my wife being Palestinian and Puerto Rican. One thing all our heritages share are oppression and great injustices which continue to the present day. Like Palestinians, Native Americans fully understand the frustration and anger of having a homeland occupied only then to be humiliated by a system that effectively prohibits social equality and economic freedom. The Idle No More movement is addressing the system, in specific a bill being proposed which has the potential to bring great harm to lands belonging to Natives in Canada. It has prompted action by activists throughout North America involving scuffles with law enforcement trying to silence protesters, the most recent and possibly appalling was a report of Mall of America security officials searching for anybody who looked Native American and kicking them out after a peaceful flash mob dance. These stories are not just somebody else’s problem, it goes much deeper than whats on the surface. After all, if they can oppress one person, they can oppress every person. It’s time we all inform ourselves and start demanding more from lawmakers and fight for ourselves instead of selecting people who fight for stock holders.
