activism
October 2008 
Long Walk DC stop
Posted on Jul 12th, 2008
by 
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So, this was day 1...there are 3 days of activities planned. To start the first day, people could hook up and walk with the long-walkers from Malcolm X Park to the White House; but, I wanted to proudly wait for them at the end of this long journey. When I protested with the poets, I remember when we turned the corner and could see the people waiting for us. That was a great feeling. I wanted to be on the other end this time.
The walkers looked so beautiful coming up the street in the distance, drumming and singing...police lights flashed all around them and an African-American cop sped toward the last street the walkers had to cross and parked his car across the lanes, blocking all the traffic (and he really got in one guy's grill for trying to squeak by).
For all the things gone awry in this country, I recognize the things we can do, including literally stopping traffic to state a view contrary to the so-called leader of this country right in front of his home.
The 1978 walk resulted in the address of several bills on the floor that would further curtail native rights and that walk saw the defeat of all the those bills and the creation of the American Indian Religious Freedom Act (I knew it was inacted in 1978; but, I didn't know I had the Long-Walkers to thank for it). That act is important to me from both a non-Christian and ancestral perspective and I thank them for that (yeah, apparently, the 1st amendment didn't really mean all religions!).
So, this 2008 walk is primarily to protect the Earth Mother and sacred sites; however, the long-walkers split into a Northern & Southern route and stopped by rezs on the way to see what the issues are to include in the Manifesto. I mean, the Earth Mother's issues are OUR issues, yes?
arrivals ~
Buddhist Monks (the monks also participated in the first long walk in 1978)
congregating in front of the White House
(the house security watched the crowd from the top of the White House with binoculars. oh yeah, I saw a shooter up there, but I didn't see him take the rifle out of the case).
Organizer, Dennis Banks (in blue on left) and activist, Harry Belafonte, about to give a motivating speech
Congressman Conyers of the Judiciary Committee, his staff and Belafonte (we were on the side of the Capitol building and Conyers came out to receive the Manifesto since Capitol security wouldn't let but a few people in to see him)
the drumming...
...and the dancing
The walkers looked so beautiful coming up the street in the distance, drumming and singing...police lights flashed all around them and an African-American cop sped toward the last street the walkers had to cross and parked his car across the lanes, blocking all the traffic (and he really got in one guy's grill for trying to squeak by).
For all the things gone awry in this country, I recognize the things we can do, including literally stopping traffic to state a view contrary to the so-called leader of this country right in front of his home.
The 1978 walk resulted in the address of several bills on the floor that would further curtail native rights and that walk saw the defeat of all the those bills and the creation of the American Indian Religious Freedom Act (I knew it was inacted in 1978; but, I didn't know I had the Long-Walkers to thank for it). That act is important to me from both a non-Christian and ancestral perspective and I thank them for that (yeah, apparently, the 1st amendment didn't really mean all religions!).
So, this 2008 walk is primarily to protect the Earth Mother and sacred sites; however, the long-walkers split into a Northern & Southern route and stopped by rezs on the way to see what the issues are to include in the Manifesto. I mean, the Earth Mother's issues are OUR issues, yes?
arrivals ~
Buddhist Monks (the monks also participated in the first long walk in 1978)
congregating in front of the White House
(the house security watched the crowd from the top of the White House with binoculars. oh yeah, I saw a shooter up there, but I didn't see him take the rifle out of the case).
Organizer, Dennis Banks (in blue on left) and activist, Harry Belafonte, about to give a motivating speech
Congressman Conyers of the Judiciary Committee, his staff and Belafonte (we were on the side of the Capitol building and Conyers came out to receive the Manifesto since Capitol security wouldn't let but a few people in to see him)
the drumming...
...and the dancing
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