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From: ERIC LOCKLEAR
Date: 24 Mar 2005
Time: 22:32:29 -0500
Remote Name: 152.163.100.12
Comments By Eric Locklear: A. Honor and Thanks Thank You Nora. You are even more beautiful today that you were some 20 years ago when I first met you. Nora and I met on a Friday night at a campground in Greensboro, NC during that year’s Pow Wow celebration and Princess Pageant for the Guilford Native American Association. I was a judge for the Princess Pageant and Nora was top on my scorecard that night and forever will be! It’s good to be in North Carolina. It’s especially good to be in Raleigh, North Carolina. I lived in Raleigh for about 8 years during my time as Assistant Director of Financial Aid for North Carolina State University. Raleigh holds a very special place in my heart. I ask for your concurrence, I am home now and would like to speak simply, frankly and truthfully. I’m among family! We are family as we unite during this occasion of the 30th Annual North Carolina Indian Unity Conference. As is traditional custom for American Indians and Alaska Natives, I begin speaking by honoring and thanking. Honor and Thanks I extend to: Greg Richardson Executive Director of the North Carolina Commission of Indian Affairs Nora Dial Stanley Life-Long Friend and Ambassador for Indian People of North Carolina and The World Ruth L. Revels Life-Long Friend, Auntie, Source of Balance and Wealth of Heart Peggy J. Locklear A remarkable woman of legendary wisdom whose rhythm of life moves to no beat but her own and who is distinguished within the State of North Carolina in that she has served the Public School System of Robeson County, North Carolina for over 40 years. It’s a very special honor to be talking to this audience today while being mindful of this lady’s life-long commitment to the education of North Carolina’s citizens and especially to the education of North Carolina’s Indian People. You see, she’s My MOM!!!!! All Tribal Board Members present: I bid you greeting and thank you for the leadership you have provided and I hope you will continue to provide to the Indian People of North Carolina All former Chairs of the North Carolina Commission of Indian Affairs: I say thank you for the boost up that you provided as we stand on your shoulders reaching toward the future for our next generations! The Board of Directors of the United Tribes of North Carolina: Thank you for letting me share my thoughts today and take them as the thoughts of one seeking good for all! The State of North Carolina Administrators, Elected Officials and Governing Parties who continue to nurture and advocate for our Indian People of North Carolina. These folks were my pose when I was here in Raleigh! I thank My Federal Colleague Quanah Crossland Stamps, Commissioner, Administration for Native Americans and her Deputy Kimberly Roman. It seems that whenever Quanah and I are brought together there is some cause for celebration. The last time we saw each other was during a Federal Awards ceremony in Washington DC. She and I now come together to celebrate the Unity of the Indian People in North Carolina. This is a good thing!! Speaking of Good Things, I acknowledge, honor and heartily thank the members of the North Carolina Commission of Indian Affairs for their long-standing and diligent commitment to supporting, advocating and enriching the lives of Indian People of the State of North Carolina. Finally in my honoring, I ask us all to remember and live by the words of Chief Seattle of the Suqwamish and Duwamish – “All things are connected. Whatever befalls the earth befalls the children of the earth.” Indian Country resounds this message in many ways but one of the most common is simply but most powerfully stated in the shared phrase “We are all related!” Greetings in American Indian tribes can often be welcoming expressions denoting greetings to someone of kinship. So I give honor and thank you to the Indian People of North Carolina and to our non-native brothers and sisters joined here as we celebrate commitment every day to Unity among Indian People in North Carolina. Greetings relatives! I hope my thoughts and comments will support the work of all of the Outstanding Indian People and individual Tribal Organizations of North Carolina. American Indian-Alaska Native ABCs Nora has told you about my “First Life” and my “Best Life”, I think you can see that my career has touched both ends of the American education spectrum. While I haven’t learned the ultimate answer, I have identified some good paths for success for American Indian and Alaska Native peoples as we work within the American education system. Here’s my ABCs: Actively support Tribal Colleges and Universities Bill education as a top priority of your Tribal Government. This results in communities possessing greater education credentials and capacities for income and resources Be Comprehensive in “lifelong education”. Coordination of educational opportunities within the structure of Tribal Governments is most successful when departments/divisions/offices approach the life of the native learner beginning with Head Start and continuing throughout Graduate Degree. This approach brings comprehensive resource management and thoughtful and deliberate decision-making. Deliver education opportunities in a manner that recognizes that all education opportunities are valuable. “Each man is good in the sight of the Great Spirit. It is not necessary for eagles to be crows.” Sitting Bull, Teton Sioux College is not for everyone. Education is for everyone! If your path leads you to technical or vocational education, then follow that path. 50% of American Indian students don’t finish high school! Some dropout rates for American Indian communities exceed 90%. 17% of American Indian high school graduates go on to college. Nationally, 62% of all high school graduates go on to college. College would be my goal for every American Indian in the sound of my voice. Why? Because I know that we have not only the most handsome and most beautiful of people on the face of the earth, but we have some of the most creative and brightest minds. We are also the vessels of centuries of wisdom. In that wisdom, we carry in our souls the secret to success of the world. The secret to success of the world is having every member of the race of man recognize that “We are all related.” Earn and enjoy education – but recognize it is a privilege and a valuable commodity. Education is the only tool that begins to level the playing field for Indian People of North Carolina. The playing field in life for American Indians and Alaska Natives is not such a nice place today. It is, therefore, the responsibility of each of us today to acquire and use education to make Indian Country and the world a better place for the children of tomorrow. In Indian Country……. -In Indian Country, alcohol is the #1 health problem. -In Indian Country, 1 out of 4 automobile deaths among young people involves alcohol. -In Indian Country, by 12th grade, more than 1 in 4 American Indian males are identified as problem drinkers. -In Indian Country, American Indian youths make up 45% of all juveniles arrested under the charge of being under the influence of alcohol. -In Indian Country, American Indians have incarceration rates 38% higher than the corresponding national average. -In Indian Country, 47% of the American Indians living in the State of North Carolina reside in Robeson County. -In Indian Country, Robeson County sadly holds the highest drop out rate for the State of North Carolina. We are life-long learners…… I have learned that education is a commodity not limited to the young, to the classroom, or to knowledge found in binders. Each of us should be about being "life-long learners". In so doing, we remain daily open to improving our condition and the condition of our environment and others around us. As a life long learner - I have learned that sometimes it is my immediate nature to press my personal agenda above what might be a greater need. It's a challenge to set aside what is important to you as an individual in favor of being a supporter of the advancement of the overall community. As a people, American Indians have a phenomenal capacity to adapt to whatever our environment may be. Our clothing, our food, our traditions, our approaches to government, to life, to death all are founded in whatever the natural environment is for our tribe. Tribes have for centuries needed to make collective decisions which supported survival, advancement, change, and sometimes required patience toward a greater good. As an Indian Person of North Carolina I see such a time today. I see wisdom at this time in our honoring our individual tribal identities while also recognizing our shared birthright in being Indian People of North Carolina. When the tribes of United Tribes actively demonstrate such unity, the Indian People of North Carolina reach a milestone that we here today must work diligently toward otherwise we dishonor the lives and memories of elders and ancestors. Many have battled for unity on this battlefield that is North Carolina. It is within the power of each of us here today to win that battle for good and for ever. Finding common ground to unite for these national efforts will in the long run breed cooperation, collaboration, and goodwill when individual tribal issues are at the forefront. The lesson learned here is that any common bond can be strengthened and in so doing, roots for future storms are made stronger. Being “American Indian” is a “birthright”. “Birthright” is a right, privilege or possession. Our “birthright” comes not only from our genetics or what tribes refer to as “blood quantum”, but it is alive and well in the way we lead our lives and the way we look at the world around us. We have distinct and different viewpoints on life and we recognize our individual and collective ability to “change the world”. In Indian Country, we changed the world……. In Indian Country, we fashioned a different world The Indian People of the Southeast are leaders of the entire world and all humanity! Our relatives were the first people in all of the world to outlaw WAR. They lived in a stable civilized world of peace for hundreds of years prior to European contact. Their peace was the result of the wisdom of elders who as our forebearers chose THE LITTLE BROTHER OF WAR. This wisdom might be seen as recognizing that “We are all related.” THE LITTLE BROTHER OF WAR is also know as LaCrosse and the principles of this game appear in today’s soccer and hockey. The Indian People of the Southeast used this “activity” in resolution of tribal disputes. In being “Indian”, it is said that the reference is to the intense spirituality of the people and their closeness to a higher being – “In Dios” – “In God”. The facts of the history of LaCrosse prompt the thought “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be known as the children of God!” In Indian Country, we changed the world In 1885 when the North Carolina General Assembly passed legislation which established Separate schools for the Indians of Robeson County. In Indian Country, we changed the world In 1887 when the Croatan Normal School opened to Indians of Robeson County. Over the subsequent 70 years, Indian communities in North Carolina would follow. In Indian Country, we changed the world In 1910 when the State of North Carolina formally recognized the Lumbee Tribe of NC. In Indian Country, we changed the world In 1956 when the Lumbee Bill became the only act of these United States of America to Federally recognize an American Indian tribe while at the same time prohibiting that tribe from accessing services commensurate with that classification as available through the Bureau of Indian Affairs. In Indian Country, we changed the world In 1965 when the State of North Carolina formally recognized our relatives – the Haliwa-Saponi. In Indian Country, we changed the world In 1971 when the State of North Carolina formally recognized our relatives – the Coharie. In Indian Country, we changed the world In 1971 when the State of North Carolina formally recognized our relatives – the Waccamaw-Siouan. In Indian Country, we changed the world In 1979 when the State of North Carolina established the North Carolina Commission of Indian Affairs. In Indian Country, we changed the world In August 2000 when the Haliwa-Saponi Tribal School began classes on the site of the former Haliwa Indian School. Of little interest to most, but a phenomenal statement of the ability of American Indian people to survive and flourish is the fact that the Haliwa -Saponi Tribal School runs off of “well water”. This will change and progress will be made, but I hold this fact as one of the gem stones of the rich and powerful story of our relatives – the Haliwa-Saponi. In Indian Country, we changed the world In 2005 when North Carolina Commission of Indian Affairs Chairman Paul Brooks and North Carolina Secretary of Health and Human Services Hooker Odom enlightened the world through a report of a state task force charged with identifying Health Disparities in North Carolina. This report was a collaborative effort with the American Indian Health Care Providers servicing the State of North Carolina. In Indian Country, we changed the world In 2005 when the North Carolina Commission of Indian Affairs gave top priority in it’s annual legislative agenda to the recognition of the University of North Carolina at Pembroke as being the First Historically American Indian College and University in the State of North Carolina and in these United States of America! My research yields that this type of classification currently does not exist nationally and would propel Indian people of North Carolina into a distinction never before recognized by us or our relatives. God’s speed in this journey!!!! In Indian Country, we changed the world In 2005 when last Thursday, I had lunch with Senator Libby Dole of North Carolina. You see, the Senator and I are like……. We both love Goldsboro, North Carolina barbecue. So we sat down to a couple of plates of barbecue, baked beans, fried chicken, hush puppies, banana pudding, peach cobbler and sweet tea. Yes, Nora Jean, I had a couple of plates like that and the Senator who looks fabulous for her age, had a bbq sandwich. The point here is, that I thanked the Senator once again for her commitment to North Carolina and it’s people and particularly to the Indian people of North Carolina. As she has said previously when referencing actions of Federal recognition for a distinct tribe in North Carolina, when I shared with her the movement around UNCP, she so eloquently responded….” And isn’t it time Eric?” One Voice, Many Voices, Finding Harmony To Unite I stand before you humbly and offer these observations as the observations of one. In our way as American Indians, each voice is to be heard. The decision-makers deliberate. One voice is decided upon. All voices are then to be in unison. A fundamental lesson much too often left "untaught" and "unlearned". I’ve been living in Washington DC since 1999. Some lessons I have been taught. Some lessons I have had to unlearn. Many lessons came out of September 11, 2001 for those of us living in Washington DC. One of the most powerful lessons for me was learning to live life with others and not to constantly be looking for reasons to divide but put more energy on reasons to unite. A few months ago, there was a funeral in Washington DC. In applying my lesson learned on searching for reasons to unite in this grief, I recognized that the gentleman who had passed was a master of uniting voices into common goals. He was by all standards a great leader. Finally when I saw his widow televised, I recognized that she was a human being found in grief for her mate of 50 years. I left my office building at about 6:00 pm and walked a couple of blocks past the National Museum of the American Indian and to the corner of 3rd and Constitution Avenue. When President Ronald Reagan’s casket passed by I was about 3 arms length from touching the casket, the horse and the backward turned riding boots. As Nancy Reagan’s limousine passed it stopped directly in front of me. I was wearing that day a necklace given to me and characterized by the artist as being “the colors of fire”. Mrs. Reagan made eye contact with me as I was standing front and center of the crowd and motioned acknowledging the necklace. I motioned in response acknowledging her, her humanity, her grief, her remarkable composure, and the life-long legacy of her husband and his commitment to these United States. She nodded accepting my gift and as her limousine proceeded I felt as if I had given a piece of my spirit to her to help her walk the challenging path that she would now walk alone. I was grateful that I had looked for those reasons to unite and to take my place in honoring this man and his widow. Pledge and Prayer For Indian People Congratulations Unity Conference on 30 years of progress toward uniting the individual member nations residing in the state boundaries of North Carolina!!! Some lessons have been learned in these 30 years. Some lessons have been lost. I pray that we all be reminded of lessons that appear throughout American Indian and Alaska Native early childhood programs nationally. Let us all commit to all generations living and breathing these fundamentals: As a member of the society of Indian People of North Carolina, I will support social and emotional development and build strength – my own and all people’s – by: A) Building trust B) Fostering independence C) Encouraging self-control by setting clear, consistent limits, and having realistic expectations D) Encouraging respect for the feelings and rights of others E) Supporting and respecting native culture and environment Twenty years ago, Nora Dial Stanley as Miss Indian North Carolina called upon our Indian People of North Carolina to come together in harmony…..in peace……in unity….as the Creator intended it to be. In being “American Indian”, we have been brought up in a manner with these fundamentals at it’s foundation. Let’s build on that foundation and rise stronger as a people!!!!! Eric Locklear March 18, 2005 30th Annual North Carolina Indian Unity Conference North Raleigh Hilton Raleigh, North Carolina