AIM: Work goes on because needs go on

By Laura Waterman Wittstock and Elaine J. Salinas

In the 50 years of its formal history, the American Indian Movement (AIM) has given witness to a great many changes. 

We say formal history, because the movement existed for 500 years without a name. The leaders and members of today”™s AIM never fail to remember all of those who have traveled on before, having given their talent and their lives for the survival of the people.

At the core of the movement is Indian leadership under the direction of NeeGawNwayWeeDun, Clyde H. Bellecourt, and others. Making steady progress, the movement has transformed policy making into programs and organizations that have served Indian people in many communities. These policies have consistently been made in consultation with spiritual leaders and elders.The success of these efforts is indisputable, but perhaps even greater than the accomplishments is the vision defining what AIM stands for.

Indian people were never intended to survive the settlement of Europeans in the Western Hemisphere, our Turtle Island.  With the strength of a spiritual base, AIM has been able to clearly articulate the claims of Native Nations and has had the will and intellect to put forth those claims.

The movement was founded to turn the attention of Indian people toward a renewal of spirituality which would impart the strength of resolve needed to reverse the ruinous policies of the United States, Canada, and other colonialist governments of Central and South America.… Read the rest “AIM: Work goes on because needs go on”

What is a ”˜beloved community”™?

Let”™s move from Race to Culture

by Minkara Tezet, Cultural Wellness Center

 “Our goal is to create a beloved community and that will require a qualitative change in our souls as well as a quantitative change in our lives.” ”“ Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

“It is in community (nuit) that a person is socialized (remut); he is given an identity, a place of belonging, human dignity, and personhood. The community (nuit) is a critical concept that infuses the word remut with meaning.  ”˜Society”™ here does not remain an abstraction devoid of a sense if cosmic purpose.”Â  ”“ Seba Ahmed Azzahir

Part of my study at the Cultural Wellness Center has been to learn how to live and practice empathy, not sympathy. 

The empathy we are called to practice is a lost art. 

It is the practice of empathy where we meet the importance of Dr. King”™s teachings about the beloved community.  It was through the protests, marches and boycotts King worked to show the world what it means to walk a mile in the shoes of someone else. Community is the consistent presence where we are reflections of people who feel like we feel and who feel what we feel.… Read the rest “What is a ”˜beloved community”™?”