Many of you who are reading this own a home, are in good health, have a consistent income, take vacations, and have prestige or social standing. Many of you believe that everyone living in this country has an equal opportunity to achieve what you have. Unfortunately, the truth is, oppression and injustices are alive and well. If you compare two sets of one-year-old twins, one pair who lives on a reservation and another pair who does not, the life expectancy difference would be more than 40-years!
The educational achievement of these two sets of twins would vary and going to college would be out of reach for the pair living on the reservation. Their health would also vary. Those who live on reservations are more likely to suffer from substance abuse, alcohol abuse, and teenage pregnancy, among much else. To them, it feels like there is no end in sight.
Today, August 28th, is the anniversary of the “I have a dream” speech by Martin Luther King Jr. We have made strides elsewhere, but so many people are still living under oppression and in the minority. Native American reservations have remained relatively unchanged for generations. Injustices are alive and well on the Fort Peck Reservation, and all reservations and reserves. Even if people living off the reservation can see it or not…it’s there.
Despite what many people may think, there is not a simple solution to this complex problem.
Ignoring the problem will not make it go away, and neither will money.
Einstein said, “we cannot solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them.” Scientists and politicians alike are not going to solve this problem…people are. These people are special; they are humanitarians who go out of their way to help the oppressed.
Love Has No Color is not just another well intentioned handout program. It is a group of humanitarians who want to guide kids and adults, help them become more self-sufficient, and help the world inside and outside of the reservation. To do this, the LHNC members focus on the mental and physical health of others. In doing so, they are constantly working to change the beliefs from extreme hopelessness to a “why not me” attitude.