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Oglala
Sioux Tribe Youth
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PINE RIDGE INDIAN RESERVATION 1,000 Young Native Americans
from the Oglala Lakota Sioux Tribe are raising $100,000 to pay for
the transport, tents, sleeping bags, and food needed for them to
reach the pipeline protest site, according to One Spirit Native
Progress.
The Standing Rock Lakota Sioux are taking a stand to protect
the water, the land, and their heritage threatened by the construction
of the Dakota Access Pipeline. The construction led by Energy Transfer
Inc. has already destroyed ancient burial sites, prayer grounds,
and sacred artifacts. The Standing Rock Lakota have been joined
by members of 280 other tribes, and the youth from the Pine Ridge
Indian Reservation want to join their elders and stand with them.
Not only would this strengthen
the #NODAPL movement, it could also be a turning point
in stopping the epidemic of youth suicide
on the reservation. If youre wondering why so
many teens are choosing to end their own life, look at these numbers:
- 97% of the population at Pine Ridge Reservation live below
federal poverty line.
- The unemployment rate on the Reservation vacillates between
85% and 95%.
- The median income on the Pine Ridge Reservation is less than
$3,500 PER YEAR.
- 75% of the youth drop out of school.
- At least 60% of the homes are without water, electricity,
insulation, or sewage systems.
- The Pine Ridge Reservation has the shortest life expectancy
of any community in the Western Hemisphere outside Haiti. Its
a third-world situation right in Americas back yard.
Despite these difficult conditions, Lakota youth are determined
to support their people, make an impact, and be part of the history
that Native tribes are creating right now. Many Oglala Lakota have
already played a key part in the pipeline opposition. Most of the
youth have been supporting their elders from afar until now, but
they are determined to reach the protest site to lend their voice
to the movement in person. They are more than their circumstances,
and they are determined to prove it.
For the Lakota Youth against DAPL fundraiser, visit https://www.facebook.com/donate/10153765505705493/
More information on One Spirits Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/OneSpiritPineRidge/)
and on Twitter @SpiritPineRidge and #LakotaYouth2DAPL
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