Despite COVID tearing through the Dakotas in the wake of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally and wildfires threatening our team in California, we’re as committed to lifting up our communities as we ever have been. No doubt about it, 2020 has been a challenging year. It’s forced us to develop new strategies for securing justice and achieving our goals. <a rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank" href="https://click.everyaction.com/k/19205198/252206446/1958792018?utm_source=ea&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=mlfh&utm_content=textlink&sourceid=1042976& rac=,lpnl
What does membership with us mean? It means that together, we can make an even bigger impact on our journey to justice for the Lakota People. It will give you new ways to build community with like-minded supporters, contribute to the projects that matter most to you, and ensure stability for our work during turbulent times.
We know the value of stability. Last year, we realized a longtime dream when we bought a house on the Standing Rock Nation and opened a foster home for some of the reservation’s most at-risk children. In partnership with community members, the home has provided a safe place — in Native care — for 25 Lakota kids in 2020. And it has given those children stability. <a rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank" href="https://click.everyaction.com/k/19205199/252206447/1958792018?utm_source=ea&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=mlfh&utm_content=textlink&sourceid=1042976& rac=,lpnl
<a rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank" href="https://click.everyaction.com/k/19205200/252206448/1958792018?utm_source=ea&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=mlfh&utm_content=piclink&sourceid=1042976&
rac=,lpnl
&nvep=ew0KICAiVGVuYW50VXJpIjogIm5ncHZhbjovL3Zhbi9FQS9FQTAwMS8xLzU4MDcwIiwNCiAgIkRpc3RyaWJ1dGlvblVuaXF1ZUlkIjogImRlMTY4NjBhLTZmZjgtZWExMS05OWMzLTAwMTU1ZDAzOWU3NCIsDQogICJFbWFpbEFkZHJlc3MiOiAiYXp0ZWM4ODg4QGFvbC5jb20iDQp9&hmac=ke7PoBOq6ZnUqC2Qe0IQ_hFLFUE7lPUxAbGUF9lImFQ=&emci=5e2001a3-9cf3-ea11-99c3-00155d039e74&emdi=de16860a-6ff8-ea11-99c3-00155d039e74&ceid=2659296″>Some of our foster kids with their tribal foster parent, at our kinship care home on Standing Rock Nation.Over the years, your support has created a better world for Lakota children and families. In the beginning, I formed the Lakota Child Rescue Project. In 2012, we hosted an Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) Summit. We transported dozens of Standing Rock families to Rapid City. There, tribal members from across South Dakota testified about the state’s Department of Social Services removing our children to illegally place them in non-Native care.
Now, your support can help fund a youth center adjacent to our Standing Rock foster home. We’re optimistic that, with your help, we could break ground as early as spring of 2021! So much of the suffering on our reservations — the suicide rates, the substance abuse, the juvenile offenses — could be solved by providing more resources for our young ones. We must work together to provide consistent places to sleep, learn, and play. That’s what building real stability looks like.
Wopila tanka — my deep gratitude to you for your committed friendship!
Madonna Thunder Hawk
Cheyenne River Organizer
The Lakota People’s Law Project
P.S. Lakota Law members join a community of like-minded supporters and give us financial stability, ensuring that our work together is both strategic and effective. As a member you’ll receive meaningful benefits, including new ways to connect with us — and with each other. <a rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank" href="https://click.everyaction.com/k/19205202/252206450/1958792018?utm_source=ea&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=mlfh&utm_content=pslink&sourceid=1042976& rac=,lpnl
Lakota People’s Law Project
547 South 7th Street #149
Bismarck, ND 58504-5859
The Lakota People’s Law Project is part of the Romero Institute, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) law and policy center. All donations are tax-deductible.
Water is Life 