Post by Okwes on Aug 6, 2006 18:45:45 GMT -5
Martin Luther King III to visit Pine Ridge
By KEVIN ABOUREZK / Lincoln Journal Star
www.journalstar.com/articles/2006/08/01/local/doc44ce9c864ea2e979\
162986.txt
<http://www.journalstar.com/articles/2006/08/01/local/doc44ce9c864ea2e97\
9162986.txt>
Tribal activists on South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Indian Reservation
are hoping a visit from a renowned civil rights activist today will
bring national attention to problems of poverty and alcoholism.
Martin Luther King III is planning to visit the reservation as part of a
nationwide tour to gather information about poverty, said Russell Means,
a Native actor and former leader of the American Indian Movement.
The son of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. will host a
national summit on poverty in Washington this fall to end his Listening
and Learning Tour.
The tour is an extension of Realizing the Dream, a nonprofit
organization the younger King co-founded to continue his father’s
fight against poverty and injustice.
“Martin King III decided to do what America is not doing and pay
attention to our concerns,” said Means, a member of the Oglala
Sioux Tribe.“His father’s dream hasn’t been
realized yet.”
He is touring the country to document poverty, focusing on minority
communities, said Means, who is helping organize King’s visit.
King recently visited the Navajo Nation and received a standing ovation
before the tribe’s 88-member legislature, Means said.
In Pine Ridge, he hopes to hold a town hall-type meeting in which tribal
leaders and citizens can share their concerns with him. He then plans to
visit individual families from two reservation communities, Means said.
“He has the name recognition, and he has the network to
accomplish a lot of things with this information,” Means said.
At least one Native activist is hoping King’s visit will focus
attention on beer sales in the border town of Whiteclay, Neb.
Duane Martin Sr. of the Strong Heart Civil Rights Movement said King can
help the tribe address the estimated 12,000 cans of beer sold in
Whiteclay each day to those living on the reservation, where alcohol is
banned.
“It’s gonna be a big day tomorrow,” Martin said
Monday.
While others may bring up the issue of Whiteclay, King plans to focus on
the issue of poverty during his visit, Means said.
“The Whiteclay issue is symptomatic of poverty,” he said.
“If there was no poverty, there would be no Whiteclay.”
By KEVIN ABOUREZK / Lincoln Journal Star
www.journalstar.com/articles/2006/08/01/local/doc44ce9c864ea2e979\
162986.txt
<http://www.journalstar.com/articles/2006/08/01/local/doc44ce9c864ea2e97\
9162986.txt>
Tribal activists on South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Indian Reservation
are hoping a visit from a renowned civil rights activist today will
bring national attention to problems of poverty and alcoholism.
Martin Luther King III is planning to visit the reservation as part of a
nationwide tour to gather information about poverty, said Russell Means,
a Native actor and former leader of the American Indian Movement.
The son of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. will host a
national summit on poverty in Washington this fall to end his Listening
and Learning Tour.
The tour is an extension of Realizing the Dream, a nonprofit
organization the younger King co-founded to continue his father’s
fight against poverty and injustice.
“Martin King III decided to do what America is not doing and pay
attention to our concerns,” said Means, a member of the Oglala
Sioux Tribe.“His father’s dream hasn’t been
realized yet.”
He is touring the country to document poverty, focusing on minority
communities, said Means, who is helping organize King’s visit.
King recently visited the Navajo Nation and received a standing ovation
before the tribe’s 88-member legislature, Means said.
In Pine Ridge, he hopes to hold a town hall-type meeting in which tribal
leaders and citizens can share their concerns with him. He then plans to
visit individual families from two reservation communities, Means said.
“He has the name recognition, and he has the network to
accomplish a lot of things with this information,” Means said.
At least one Native activist is hoping King’s visit will focus
attention on beer sales in the border town of Whiteclay, Neb.
Duane Martin Sr. of the Strong Heart Civil Rights Movement said King can
help the tribe address the estimated 12,000 cans of beer sold in
Whiteclay each day to those living on the reservation, where alcohol is
banned.
“It’s gonna be a big day tomorrow,” Martin said
Monday.
While others may bring up the issue of Whiteclay, King plans to focus on
the issue of poverty during his visit, Means said.
“The Whiteclay issue is symptomatic of poverty,” he said.
“If there was no poverty, there would be no Whiteclay.”