BUSH FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES TWO PRIZES
FOR INDIAN COUNTRY
ST. PAUL, MN – In recognition of
winning a 2014 Bush Prize for Community Innovation, the Native
American Community Development Institute of Minneapolis and First
Peoples Fund of Rapid City, S.D. have received continued funding from
the Bush Foundation in the amounts of $157,201 and $313,068,
respectively.
NACDI grew out of research that showed
outcomes for American Indians in Hennepin County had not improved
substantially in the past 40 years. NACDI spent three years asking
Native people what they wanted for their future, as opposed to what
they needed to meet their basic needs. The gatherings resulted in a
rich and bold vision for a vibrant, resilient community that
celebrates Native identity.
This work has spawned numerous
efforts, from homeownership opportunities to youth entrepreneurship
training to the building of the American Indian Cultural Corridor, a
half-mile physical manifestation along Franklin Avenue of the
community’s vision for a prosperous home in Minneapolis.
The only entity of its kind in the
country, NACDI has employed an asset-building approach to reposition
the American Indian community as an engine of economic growth. It
works from the premise that comprehensive, asset-centered strategies
and cross-sector partnerships embracing technology, entrepreneurship
and community development will promote innovative ideas. (2014 Bush
Prize winner)
First Peoples Fund set out nearly 20
years ago to devise an approach that empowers Native artists to be
culture bearers and leaders of social change in their communities.
Today, First Peoples Fund empowers
Lakota, Dakota, Nakota and Ojibwe artists through a combination of
financial support, mentoring and entrepreneurship opportunities. The
program helps revitalize cultures while providing artists with tools
to grow as creative leaders and financially support themselves, their
families and their communities.
Recognized nationally as a leader in
its field, First Peoples Fund is sharing its model across the
country, working with other Native communities to provide artists
with access to knowledge, materials, networks, capital and markets.
NICWA CELEBRATES HOLDER’S ICWA
INITIATIVE
WASHINGTON – U.S. Attorney General
Eric Holder just announced the launch of an ICWA initiative to
address ICWA noncompliance and halt the unnecessary and illegal
removal of Indian children from their families.
The initiative mirrors the
recommendations NICWA has made in countless pieces of testimony
submitted, policy briefings provided to officials, and hundreds of
hours working behind the scenes, building on the relationships and
reputation we have carefully nurtured in over 30 years of working on
Capitol Hill.
We use our invitation to the
policymaking table to advocate tirelessly, ensuring YOUR stories and
concerns are shared with those at the highest level. Chief among
these been reports of widespread noncompliance with ICWA. NICWA has
listened to you, and called for accountability for those who have
disrupted and damaged our families.
We applaud today’s announcement. Your
voices have been heard.
“Today, I am pleased to announce
that the Department of Justice is launching a new initiative to
promote compliance with the Indian Child Welfare Act. Under this
important effort, we are working to actively identify state-court
cases where the United States can file briefs opposing the
unnecessary and illegal removal of Indian children from their
families and their tribal communities. We are partnering with the
Departments of the Interior and Health and Human Services to make
sure that all the tools available to the federal government are used
to promote compliance with this important law.” Holder said in a
speech on Dec. 3.
“And we will join with those
departments, and with tribes and Indian child-welfare organizations
across the country, to explore training for state judges and
agencies; to promote tribes’ authority to make placement decisions
affecting tribal children; to gather information about where the
Indian Child Welfare Act is being systematically violated; and to
take appropriate, targeted action to ensure that the next generation
of great tribal leaders can grow up in homes that are not only safe
and loving, but also suffused with the proud traditions of Indian
cultures.”
CHEMICAL HEALTH PROGRAM RECEIVES CIRCLE
OF EXCELLENCE AWARD
By Michael Meuers
Red Lake Nation News
RED LAKE, MN – The Red Lake Chemical
Health Programs is proud to share the news that the Red Lake Alcohol
Rehabilitation Red Road of Wellness Grant was nominated by Dr. Cecil
White Hat to receive the Commissioners Circle of Excellence award.
The program was selected for the recipient of the 2014 award! “We
are thrilled and eager to share the news,” Project Director Salena
Beasley said.
Dr. Cecil White Hat, (Sicangu Lakota),
with the Minnesota Department of Human Services, Alcohol and Drug
Abuse Division, as a Principal Planner/Program Consultant, nominated
the program for the award.
"Congratulations!
Congratulations! You were selected to receive the Commissioner’s
Circle of Excellence Award for 2014,” White Hat said in an email to
Tom Barrett Director of Red Lake Chemical Health Programs. “It is
well deserved. You are finally being recognized for the outstanding
work that you do. Keep up the good work!”
In a letter to Red Lake Chairman
Darrell G. Seki, Sr., and Director Barrett, the Commissioner of the
Minnesota Department of Human Services Lucinda E. Jesson wrote,
“Congratulations on the selection of Red Lake Chemical Health’s Red
Road of Wellness Program as a recipient of a 2014 Commissioner’s
Circle of Excellence Award! Your organization was nominated for your
chemical health prevention and treatment support services that
emphasize cultural values.”
“I am pleased to have the
opportunity to reconginize your organization as our partner in
performing outstanding work to support the DHS mission, priorities
and goals and for your outstanding commitment to our human services
program clients,” Barrett continued.
The official award ceremony will take
place in St. Paul on Dec. 15.
