Happy #NativeAmericanHeritageMonth. Everyday this month I am a little lesson and today’s lesson is about URBAN INDIANS!
I’ve missed a couple days of posting bc I’ve been visiting my old home of BALTIMORE! In honor of this amazing city, here is some info about urban NDNs.
I’ve missed a couple days of posting bc I’ve been visiting my old home of BALTIMORE! In honor of this amazing city, here is some info about urban NDNs.
One stereotype about Native Americans is that we all live “out West”. Those assumptions can erase urban indians who live in cities and tribal nations that have lived on the coasts since the beginning of time.
The 1956 Indian Relocation Act was created to encourage Native Americans to leave reservations under the guise of economic opportunity. While it sought to assimilate Native Americans, many urban Indians built robust communities where families have now been living for generations.
I lived in Baltimore for a decade and the community there became such an important part of my life! Baltimore is home to one of the largest urban Indian populations on the East coast. There are over 7,000 Native Americans residents in the Baltimore area.
Many Native Americans moved to Baltimore from North Carolina during the Federal Government Indian Relocation Program. The Lumbee community in Baltimore is the largest population of Lumbees outside of their tribal territory in North Carolina.
The Baltimore Indian community is served by two urban indian centers: the Baltimore American Indian Center, which has been an anchor for the community since 1968 and Native American Lifelines which is an IHS funded Urban Indian Health Program.
The Native-led group Indigenous Strong is currently fighting to get the city to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous People’s Day. You can connect to and support their effort here: facebook.com/groups/1937480…
