'Longest walk' reaches Washington
- added July 11, 2008
- 19 responses
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- goldenways
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Thousands of demonstrators are gathering in Washington DC after a five month long journey across America to draw attention to the state of the environment and press for the protection of sacred Native American sites.
Thirty years ago, 40,000 Native Americans and their supporters participated in an historic cross-country march called the Longest Walk. They travelled 3,600 miles from San Francisco to Washington gathering support to successfully halt bills before Congress, that Native Americans said threatened their sovereignty.
Commemorating that event, two groups of walkers set out from Alcatraz Island last February.
The Longest Walk 2 was longer by demand according to organiser Dennis Banks, who founded the first walk in 1978. One group passed through southern states like Texas, Alabama and Tennessee while the northern delegation has walked through Pennsylvania and surrounding states.
Along the way they have picked up 3,800 bags of trash and gathered a list of American-Indian worries - everything from concern about burial grounds under threat in Kentucky to fears about the future of the Arizona Mountains threatened by ski resort development.
Today the marchers are due to end their journey at the White House and later present a 30-page manifesto to a Democratic Congressman, Rep. John Conyers, who advocates on a wide range of minority issues.
Some sceptics have questioned the impact a group of people on foot can have.
But one marcher, Shanawa Littlebow, has no doubts.
"To say it doesn't work, it's to say a wheel doesn't work when it's turning. We're turning. We're walking. It's working," he said.
Thirty years ago, 40,000 Native Americans and their supporters participated in an historic cross-country march called the Longest Walk. They travelled 3,600 miles from San Francisco to Washington gathering support to successfully halt bills before Congress, that Native Americans said threatened their sovereignty.
Commemorating that event, two groups of walkers set out from Alcatraz Island last February.
The Longest Walk 2 was longer by demand according to organiser Dennis Banks, who founded the first walk in 1978. One group passed through southern states like Texas, Alabama and Tennessee while the northern delegation has walked through Pennsylvania and surrounding states.
Along the way they have picked up 3,800 bags of trash and gathered a list of American-Indian worries - everything from concern about burial grounds under threat in Kentucky to fears about the future of the Arizona Mountains threatened by ski resort development.
Today the marchers are due to end their journey at the White House and later present a 30-page manifesto to a Democratic Congressman, Rep. John Conyers, who advocates on a wide range of minority issues.
Some sceptics have questioned the impact a group of people on foot can have.
But one marcher, Shanawa Littlebow, has no doubts.
"To say it doesn't work, it's to say a wheel doesn't work when it's turning. We're turning. We're walking. It's working," he said.
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- goldenways
- 3 months ago
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I'm in DC right now. I think i'm gonna march down to the white house to see what such an amazing display of protest will produce.
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what a great history and mission; plus, 3,800 bags of trash off the road? inspiring.
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I listened to that on Democracy Now! yesterday morning... THIRTY YEARS later... No change. Greed, it's what's for dinner.
Next march, I'll be in it. -
This is a terrible aggravation. It's my fault for not paying attention. I thought that the main issues with our Native American tribes is redress for the harm that we have caused them. According to this article we need to quit doing further harm . This is outrageous. Our government has never made a treaty (of the many) with any tribe that we have not broken. How can we expect any country to have faith in our word when this is the way we treat our own. I'm informed and will become more informed on these issues.
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A big difference is that Current and other independent media services will focus more attention on these activities than has ever been done before. The underground movements are rising to the surface and having an impact on Corporate Media. Why else would Murdock and his kind be fighting back so strongly?
They war with those they do not understand.
Native American Indians have always known this. -
An awesome feat they have accomplished. I hope they are successful!
It's really sad that 30 years later the Native American people have to essentially repeat history though. It is a shame that our government continually lies to and cheats the Native Americans.
If only more people would be as dedicated to their causes as these people are I think we would live in a lot better place.-
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- Ayahuasca2012
- 3 months ago
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Funny, the Native American's are going to be the ones to save us yet!
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i don't feel that most americans want to consider the fact that we had an attempted genocide as part of american history.
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The reason I stopped celebrating Thanksgiving a few years back. Thanks for Giving Blood is more like it.
We need to respect the land we stand upon. -
i coined a name for the plague some years ago, i call it the white man's syndrome. it has been visited on many cultures around the world for many years. how is it that they can be so narrow minded to believe that theirs is the only way? if we had landed here at Plymouth Rock and embraced the society that existed instead of committing genocide as previously mentioned, what a different world it would be today. the oddest thing about all this to me is it is still going on today, can't we find a cure for this plague?? the statement made by this walk is lost on those who manipulate the system to the extent that we have seen in the last several years. there is no government for the people or by the people, it is for the corporate and the shareholders. remember Soylent Green??????
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When a person who thinks they are sane walks into an insane asylm. The people in that asylm think he is the only one insane. When the pilgrims landed on that rock they too thought they were sane. If you fight an insane person you will both lose. The indians that fought are no longer extant. The peaceful patient people on both sides of this situation are growing together and yes it may be true that the natives will eventually teach the immigrants sanity. At least I hope so.
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I'll walk with them!
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I hope this does good for all the broken communities out there, for all the broken lives out there and for all the broken people separated from their tribes. I hope that we can come together and build new tribes, keeping the old ways that are good and learning new ones.
Peace to all who hope for a better future-
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- spoonieday
- 3 months ago
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Damn, am I going to have to walk 3600 miles just try get someone to listen? How can they afford to take off from work that long?
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- damnneargenius
- 3 months ago
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I hope their efforts are rewarded.
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- bamboombango
- 3 months ago
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This article should be on CNN and the mainstream media. Only then will it reach the hearts of those that can demand change from this countries leadership.
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