With a burden of literally billions of dollars of debt and up to as many as 44 veterans committing suicide a day, we have a national crisis within our veteran community. Its impact, along with current government actions, will be even more significant within our Native American population.
America could be driving its native peoples, who once proudly served its flag, to suicide. How so, and what can you and I do about it? Let’s first get educated and grounded.
Imagine you are a Native American Army veteran rounded up and detained in the hunt to “weed out illegal aliens.” Imagine your military documents (if you have them) are scoffed at and ignored.
Recent events involving Native American veterans, many of whom may not have suitable identification due to the nature of the tribal citizenship processes, make them susceptible to arrest and even deportation.
Show Me Your Papers
Those questions were not asked of these people and other races during WWII or the many wars afterward. In fact, without the participation of people of color, including members of Native/Indigenous tribes currently being targeted, many of the victories would have been more costly—even to the point of becoming losses.
Native Americans, who currently number over 65,000 serving in active duty, over the history of our country, have been the largest ethnic group per capita. Bar none.
Many veterans return to a civilian life where societal indignities force them to live with their traumas in isolation, removed from the same resources and privileges they risked their lives to protect and provide for others.
Broken Treaties, Broken Promises, and Now This
End Veteran Debt intends to do all it can to bring this current injustice to America’s awareness. It’s bad enough that unpaid and unpayable debt—much of it brought about by our own government—leads to substance abuse, incarceration and homelessness. Suicide rates are highest among the Indigenous veterans and their families. Couple this now with the fear of being deported (to where?) due to the actions of government agents bereft of training and cultural awareness (Too DEI, ya say?). These agents do not recognize tribal IDs and Certificates of Indian Blood (CIBs) as legitimate forms of ID.
Native Americans are further impacted by the current administration’s unwillingness to acknowledge birthright citizenship.
Native Americans did not acquire citizenship until 1924 despite “living on the land” before Columbus. Through the lens of racism, Native Americans are being cast as “illegal aliens” and “non-citizens.” This is yet another broken promise that litters this era’s “Trail of Tears.”
Learn more about End Veteran Debt and our national “Operation Debt-Day” which focuses on both local and national initiatives to keep veterans—from all ethnic groups—from falling through the cracks or experiencing something as outrageous as they are now.
This cannot, and will not, stand.
