By Matt Gilbert
Most would agree Native suicide is the pressing issue of all in rural Alaska. In the Athabascan and Yupik regions, it has been a grave and growing concerning for decades. Native leaders raised it as an emergency during the 2010 Alaska Federation of Natives Convention. I spoke to Inupiaq, Yupik, and Athabascan youth and Elders across the state and they had much to say.
Anuak refugees from Ethiopia are reporting mobilization of national military and police forces in the Gambella region, and increasing violence there.
On March 13th the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. Navi Pillay, visited Guatemala, giving an audience to the grievances of the Indigenous peoples in the country during a visit to the highland town of Totonicapan.
Historically, Cultural Survival’s mission has always been to partner with organizations that protect and advocate for Indigenous people who are victims of racism and discriminatory practices.
Today is International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
Today, March 8th is International Women's Day, first celebrated by the United Nations in 1975. Today is an opportunity to celebrate our mothers, nieces, sisters, and daughters, and all the contributions that women have made since the beginning of time. Indigenous women across the globe are the keepers of knowledge essential for the survival and sustainability of our planet.
Cultural Survival congratulates Board Member Grand Chief Edward John (Tl’azt’en Nation and Dene Za) on receiving a National Aboriginal Achievement Award (NAAA) in Canada. On February 24, 2012 Edward John will be recognized in Coast Salish territory (Vancouver, Canada) for his political leadership and decades of fighting for First Nations rights and freedoms. The National Aboriginal Achievement Awards is Canada’s largest and most influential annual showcase of Aboriginal achievement. Each year, the NAAA celebrates the accomplishments of 14 recipients.
The Ethiopian government has come under criticism due to its use of anti-terrorism laws to incarcerate journalists critical of their administration. Two Sweedish journalists were recently sentenced to 11 years in prison, while local journalists have been sentenced to 14 years and even death. Cultural Survival ally Frank La Rue, UN Special Rapporteur onFreedom of Expression, stated that, "Journalists play a crucial role in promoting accountability of public officials by investigating and informing the public about human rights violations."
Translated from Prensa Libre February 14th, 2012
By MARIELOS MONZÓN
Reconocimiento de tierra
Reconocemos que nuestra sede está en la tierra de Massachusetts, en Cambridge, MA, y agradecemos a los administradores Indígenas pasados, actuales y futuros de este territorio.
