Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, left, and Education Secretary Arne Duncan listen to representatives of the urban Indian community in Baltimore, Maryland, on June 15, 2015. Photo by Andrew Bahl for Indianz.Com



Urban Indians share concerns about 'invisibility'

By Andrew BahlIndianz.Com Staff Writer

Two members of President Barack Obama's Cabinet joined a roundtable discussion on Monday to explore ways to better serve urban Native communities.

“One of the things we experience as urban Indians is a sense of invisibility,” Kelly Hawk Lessard, the center's executive director, said during the discussion. “So having you here today lets people know that we’re here. When people don’t know that you’re here they don’t know the issues that you have.”

Parents detailed their struggles in ensuring that their children were being fed while also not being stigmatized by their participation in the National School Lunch Program . They also discussed efforts to create avenues to nutritional food and cultural education for Native youth

Native American Lifelines is located at 106 West Clay Street in Baltimore, Maryland. Photo from Facebook



Jess McPherson, the fiscal manager and cultural educator at Native American Lifelines, underscored recent efforts to reconnect Native youth to the land by creating urban gardens. The gardens are viewed as a positive example of both healthy eating and cultural education.

“A lot of [Native youth] are completely unfamiliar with where their food comes from and for us, as indigenous people, that is a really scary thought,” McPherson said. “It teaches them how to find food that they may not necessarily be able to pay for … and in turn helps them make healthy choices with their eating. It helps us to build healthier kids.”

Both Duncan and Vilsack pledged support from their departments in bolstering the center’s programs. They also said they would take a look at larger scale issues that affect Native youth in urban environments.

Native youth participate in programs at the Native American Lifelines in Baltimore, Maryland. Photo from Facebook



“We need to see what we can do to continue to give [Native youth] hope,” Duncan said.

McPherson considered the event to be productive and called on Duncan and Vilsack to stick to their word and redouble efforts to provide opportunities for urban Natives. The Cabinet secretaries spent about 40 minutes at the center.

“I feel like they came here to hear us because they care about what we are doing and saying,” she said. “If we can express to them that we care about investing in our people and in our future, hopefully they will make some efforts to do the same.”

Native American Lifelines provides health and community outreach services in Baltimore and throughout the Mid-Atlantic. The center operates under an urban Indian contract with the Indian Health Service

About 2,500 Native Americans live in Baltimore, according to 2010 data from the U.S. Census Bureau

Join the Conversation

Related Stories: Students from Oglala Sioux Tribe get close with First Lady Obama (06/04) Native youth help First Lady Obama harvest White House garden (6/2) Deadline extended for White House Tribal Youth Gathering (05/11) President Obama invites Native youth to White House on July 9 (04/27) Mark Trahant: Invest in our Native youth for long-term success (04/24) Opinion: First Lady brings truth with remarks about Native youth (04/23) White House Blog: Improving the lives of Native American youth (04/22) First Lady Obama speaks to Native youth at White House session (04/08) First Lady Obama to deliver remarks at Native youth meeting (04/03) White House Blog: Launching the Gen-I Tribal Leader Challenge (3/12) Interview: Interior Secretary Sally Jewell on Native youth focus (03/11) Jodi Gillette: Administration making progress in Indian Country (03/02) President Obama makes Native youth a priority in administration (12/04) White House to host first-ever Tribal Youth Gathering next year (12/03) White House Fact Sheet: Sixth annual Tribal Nations Conference (12/3) White House invites youth to DC for Tribal Nations Conference (11/26) Obamas welcome youth from Standing Rock Sioux Tribe to DC (11/21) Native Sun News: Oglala Sioux youth to join White House meet (11/21)