Introduction to EJ

The reading we have chosen to open the class is Joseph Marshall III's latest book: Crazy Horse Weeps: The Challenge of Being Lakota in White America, Fulcrum Press, Golden CO. This book is available for around $10 on Amazon. Amazon described the book as follows: For Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota people, historical trauma, chronically underfunded federal programs, and broken promises on the part of the US government have resulted in gaping health, educational, and economic disparities compared to the general population. Crazy Horse Weeps, offers a thorough historical overview of how South Dakota reservations have wound up in these tragic circumstances, showing how discrimination, a disorganized tribal government, and a devastating dissolution of Lakota culture by the US government have transformed the landscape of Native life. Yet these extraordinary challenges, Marshall argues, can be overcome. Focusing on issues of identity and authenticity, he uses his extensive experience in traditional Lakota wisdom to propose a return to traditional tribal values and to outline a plan for a hopeful future.

From our perspective, this book introduces several of the themes we will explore in looking at how Environmental Justice is an issue for Indigenous peoples, by one of the few full-blood Native American writers. There are several Youtube videos that feature Dr. Marshall. Our favorite is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWYyOSqBJPA

Through this reading, we hope to illustrate how a wide range of problems in Indian Country are linked to Environmental Justice. Dr. Marshall does not specifically address EJ, but through his stories and essays he reveals the impact of cultural destruction, attempts at assimilation, and damage to the environment. For participants who are not Native and who have not experienced these issues, this book will give you a good introduction to what many Indian people have experienced and why it is difficult for them to try and maintain their traditional links to the places where they have come to be sovereign peoples. It is also hopeful and provides suggestions for how this might be remedied.

Please note that if you would like more information on Love Canal and its History that the article Recipe for Disaster from the Journal of Women's History is available in folder below