Coming up on Native America Calling – Week of 8/24/15

A federal report released in July surveyed 90 studies of the Head Start programs and found that the federal program has had “no discernible” effects in math and social emotional development. Since 1965, the Head Start program has provided early childhood education in Native American communities, but measuring the success of Head Start in Native America is difficult because many of the studies do not include American Indian and Alaska Native students. How effective are Head Start and other early childhood education programs? Are Native students benefiting from early childhood education in your area?

It seems like we’re bombarded with racist and offensive things every day on the Internet and in real life. When it gets too hot and you feel like you have to say something, what’s the most effective way to educate someone about their offensive behavior? How can you keep your cool when the offensive words or actions make it feel like someone is slapping you in the face? What about in the workplace? What challenges arise when you confront a racist co-worker or a boss who makes offensive remarks about you and your people? Is anger ever a good way to get your point across?

Before the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978, many Native children were adopted by non-Natives and a large portion of those adoptees lost their cultural ties to their tribes. Sandy White Hawk is an adoptee who found her way back to her family on the Rosebud reservation. She has now organized the first Welcome Home Gathering for the tribe, which is scheduled to take place on August 29, 2015. This gathering is only the second time that a tribe will welcome its adoptees home. The first was White Earth Anishnaabe in Minnesota. What does it take to organize an event like this? How could it help heal individuals and tribes heal wounds from the past? Guests: Sandy White Hawk (Sicangu Lakota), director of First Nations Repatriation Institute and organizer of the Welcoming Home Gathering, and Marlies White Hate (Sicangu Lakota), co-organizer of the Welcome home Gathering in Rosebud, South Dakota.

Last year, the U.S. Department Veterans Affairs was heavily criticized for inadequate medical care and falsifying documents about wait times for veterans who needed to see a doctor. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki resigned amid the scandal. Congress later passed the Veterans Choice and Accountability Act of 2014. Are veterans getting the healthcare they need today? What has the VA done to improve care for Native veterans? Guests include Candy Klump (Muscogee Creek) – Native American nurse navigator at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Why do cultural identities and notions of indigeneity clash? On this show, we discuss the conflicts and issues that can arise as people express both their Latino identity and Native American identity. Are there lines to draw? Are there labels to make? Are lines and labels harmful? We also discuss what it means to be Latino and how the Latino community has changed over time.