InLight Magazine: Fall 2019

FALL 2019 NEWSLETTER

Pine Ridge

EDMUND BURKE SCHOOL INLIGHT MAGAZINE

CONTENTS 02 WELCOME

03 ABOUT THIS ISSUE

04 PREFACE

05 ON THE REZ

07 FEATURED ART

08 A LAND OF BEAUTY PLAGUED

BY BROKENNESS

10 PHOTOGRAPHY

11 MEET THE TEAM

02

WELCOME A NOTE FROM THE EDITORS

Happy Fall! And welcome to our first edition of InLight Diversity Magazine from the Edmund Burke School Chapter this year!

As Sigita and I came into this year, we were uneasy about stepping into the shoes left for us by the previous editor-inchief, Kelsey Coleman ‘19-- could we get everything done, managing both the magazine and junior year? Would our editorial team be good? Could we figure out how to run a magazine? The answers were all yes. Still, we decided to start out small-- not with a full magazine, but with a newsletter. As the last remnants of summer have dissipated with the cold weather, we thought a good place to start would be a summer recap of one of the summer experiences at Burke: the Pine Ridge trip to an Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Throughout this fall, Sigita and I have had the joy and honor to work with an amazing editorial board as well as some equally talented writers. With their help, we were able to publish our very first newsletter. We hope you find as much joy in it as we did in making it!-- Kyra Layman ‘21

EXPLORING CULTURES, LIFTING VOICES & INTERROGATING INJUSTICES ONE SCHOOL AT A TIME OUR MISSION | InLight is a youth-led and institutionally-backed platform for dialogue that explores cultures, lifts voices, and interrogates injustices. Contributors tell their own stories, shedding light on their experiences, customs, politics, and the social issues of their communities. We hope to expand the cultural lens of our readers, providing a shock to complacency and antidote to intolerance. We strive to foment empathy and inspire action within our youth, across our schools and in our greater society.

03

Comparison Corner INGRID GRUBER '22 Hi, I’m Ingrid and I am this year’s Comparison Corner editor.

Comparison Corner is a section of InLight that, per the name, compares two articles about the same topic that have been written from different perspectives. The goal of Comparison Corner is to provide readers with contrasting outlooks on a variety of subjects because as we all know, opinions don’t come in just one shape or size.

The Pine Ridge Experience Every spring or summer break for the past nine years, Burke has sent a group of students and teachers to Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota to partner with the nonprofit, Re-Member.

Re-Member's mission is to work with the Oglala Lakota Nation to improve the quality of reservation life through relationship building, shared resources, and volunteer services. By partnering with Re-Member, Burke hopes to encourage students and teachers to raise their own awareness and understanding of the long history of social, political, and environmental injustices in play between the U.S. government and Native American communities.

04

Preface Ingrid Gruber '22

In this issue of InLight, we are exploring different aspects of Burke’s Pine Ridge summer service trip. For this edition of Comparison Corner, we have an article written

by Peter Attarian ‘21, discussing his 2018 summer trip to Pine Ridge from the perspective of a white male. This article is followed by an article written by Leah Winston ‘22, discussing her 2019 summer trip to Pine Ridge from the perspective of an African American female.

8:00-8:30pm Open table discussion regarding the works of photographers

8:30-10:00pm End of program

ON THE REZ

PAGE 05

Peter Attarian '21

ON THE REZ

Pine Ridge, South Dakota shows the cold untold

truths

of

America.

This

relatively

unknown Indian reservation has some of the most staggering quality of life statistics in the country. According to the Pine Ridge hospital, the average life expectancy for men is 47 years old, and it is 55 years old for women compared to the US average of 77 and 83 years old, respectively according to the CIA. It is no surprise that the reservation has comparable

statistics

underdeveloped

to

nation.

those

of

Alcoholism

an runs

rampant, affecting 85% of native families and leading to liver problems and alcohol related violence, such as hit and runs. Alcoholism also indirectly hurts kids. One in four Pine Ridge

children

are

diagnosed

with

Fetal

Alcohol Syndrome, and the infant mortality rate is 300 times higher than the US average.

Approximately 58% of the children on the reservation are raised by their grandparents and teen suicide is 150% higher than the American average. Paired with a 70% school dropout

rate,

it

is

no

surprise

that

unemployment rates on the reservation are often cited as high as 89%. The US Census Bureau states that 53% of Native residents in Pine Ridge are living below the poverty line, but many independent assessments place the poverty rates much closer or in excess of 80%. These higher estimates are supported by the fact that the community of Allen in Pine Ridge is considered the single poorest community

in

the

US.

Yet

even

with

statistics as troubling as these, Pine Ridge is relatively unknown among Americans. This was sadly true of myself until three years ago.

Over the last two years, I have had the honor of working with Re-member, an organization focused on assisting the residents of Pine Ridge. On the Reservation, or Rez, as its residents call it, the world is much slower. Past the pain and suffering, beauty can be found in the rolling prairie, sacred Black Hills, and the mysterious Badlands. The Lakota people of Pine Ridge have immense respect for the beauty of the land and the creatures that inhabit it, the holiest of which are the buffalo.

Before the American frontiersmen forced Natives into prison camps, called reservations, the prairie was filled with giant herds of these Buffalo but as the Europeans pushed them farther into America’s so-called ‘Wild West’ the unthinkable happened. A genocide was committed against Native people, including massacres such as the Massacre at Wounded Knee, found today within the Pine Ridge Reservation. In an attempt to systematically eradicate the Lakota people, the US government set bounties on Buffalo and nearly drove the animals to extinction. However, the Lakota people continued to fight, even defeating those such as Custer at the Battle of Little Bighorn. In an act of cowardice, the US government locked them away in reservations and threw away the key. In the eyes of most Americans, the Lakota were little more than frontier history, killed with the Buffalo.

ON THE REZ

PAGE 06

Pine Ridge’s shocking statistics were not so surprising

after

I

learned

the

Lakota

history, though I was surprised to learn about their strength and ability to survive.

Through

everything,

the

Lakota

people

survived and were even able to maintain their

culture

and

language

after

forced

assimilation in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These years are still fresh in the minds of the elders who remember the atrocities perpetrated at places such as the abusive Carlisle Indian Industrial School.

We can all learn a lot out on the prairie from

the

Lakota

people.

I

learned

that

happiness can be found in things as simple as painting an outhouse, delivering bunk beds, or watching a sunset. I was taught about the value of history and tradition, but

told

that

they

don’t

define

you.

I

learned about pride, integrity, and respect and how to honor others while standing up for myself. The Lakota People taught me how

money

can’t

buy

everything,

in

refusing over $1 billion offered in damages by the US government for violating their

Re-Member takes it upon themselves to

19th century treaties and colonizing the

teach

cruel

sacred Black Hills as explored in an article

truths and devotes half of their week of

by the Atlantic. Through all the poverty,

service

the

the to

volunteers bettering

about the

these

volunteers

Lakota

people

never

accepted

the

understanding of the Lakota people and

money, asking only for their sacred land

their struggles. One particular Re-Member

back. It is clear on Pine Ridge that its

speaker was Shelly Iron Crow, a Lakota

history has always been real to the Lakota

woman who helped me understand how unresolved trauma from years of systematic abuse continue to harm her people through alcohol and drugs. She told about how her drinking had lead her down a dangerous path of depression and self-loathing but moving back to the Rez, she found peace through spirituality. Now she works as a counselor, helping others overcome their trauma and addictions through traditional healing methods and spirituality. Stories such as Shelly’s and others I’ve heard on

and only in acknowledging it can we make a better world. As long as volunteers and people like Shelly Iron Crow continue to fight for the Rez, Pine Ridge will survive.

Pine

Ridge

sympathy.

does Its

not

people

need

our

pity

or

are

some

of

the

strongest I have ever met. Working through organizations

like

Re-Member

we

can

implement change in simple ways such as bringing

beds

and

outhouses

to

those

without. While these solutions may seem rudimentary,

they

are

necessary

in

repairing years of damages these people

Pine Ridge show a much brighter picture

have faced. Doing as little as skirting a

than those you would expect to find, and

trailer

give hope to the future of the reservation.

amount spent on propane used to heat houses

can in

dramatically the

brutal

decrease

Dakotan

the

winters.

Recreating a stable base, we can get these people the necessary foothold needed to get their voices heard. Only in doing this

"ONLY IN DOING THIS CAN WE RESOLVE THEIR PAST AND IMPROVE THE FUTURE."

can we resolve their past and improve the future.

07

BY JONAH LECOMPTE '21

ARTIST STATEMENT Four years ago, I visited the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. During my time there, I learned a lot about the Oglala Lakota community. Everyone there had so little but were the kindest, most generous people I have ever met. I had such a great experience there, I decided to come back the following year.Last year during art class I was given a prompt to create a piece about any social justice issue. Pine Ridge came to my mind first because it is an often overlooked issue that’s happening in our country. I wanted to represent the Lakota lifestyle and the injustice I saw in Pine Ridge. The four words that I thought best represented my experience in Pine Ridge were hope, beauty, promise, and faith. Hope represents the strength and courage of the people in the community to continue moving forward, no matter how hard the adversity they face. Beauty represents the raw allure of the land in Pine Ridge, which is absolutely breathtaking. Faith represents the connection that people in the community have with one another and the ancestors that passed before them. Finally, promise represents the over 300 treaties promised by the U.S. Government to Pine Ridge, all of which were broken.

This includes Mount Rushmore that was built on the Black Hills, a sacred area that the US promised to never interfere. I hope my art piece shows people the injustice happening in Pine Ridge and helps them become more aware of the brutality and violence that our nation has put on these people. I also hope that it encourages people to go see Pine Ridge for them self to help the community there that have been wronged by the U.S. Government countless times.

08

A LAND OF BEAUTY PLAGUED BY BROKENNESS

Leah Winston '22

A LAND OF BEAUTY PLAGUED BY BROKENNESS The Pine Ridge Reservation is the second-

When I heard that I was selected to go

largest Reservation in the United States with

to Pine Ridge I was excited, albeit a

a population of 18,834 people and 11,000

little nervous. I had never gone so far

square miles. Pine Ridge is home to the

away from home by myself and I was

people of the Lakota Sioux tribe. The Lakota

not quite sure what to expect. Our

Sioux tribe has been disenfranchised by the

group

United

students

States

government

for

centuries,

consisted from

mostly

an

of

affluent

white

city

and

which continues to harm the tribe today. As

school. After learning about the Lakota

of 2015, alcoholism affects 80% of families

people’s

which contribute to the death rate 300%

Government I became nervous about

higher than the rest of the United States. “97

how

percent of the population lives far below the

learning

U.S.

disenfranchisement

federal

poverty

line

with

a

median

interactions

we

would about

with

be

the

received.

the

U.S. After

oppression that

the

and

Lakota

household income ranging between $2,600

people faced, I was worried about how

and $3,500 per year.” These statistics have a

we would be received.

staggering

The

effect

on

the

children

and

Lakota

people

we

met

were

teenagers of the reservation. “There is a 70%

extremely kind to us, however some of

high school dropout rate and the teenage

the

suicide rate is 150% higher than the U.S.

welcoming. It appeared that they were

national average. The infant mortality is the

uncomfortable

highest on the continent, and about 300%

diverse group of students. Burke was

higher than the national average.” These gut-

the only group that brought more than

wrenching statistics are clearly related to

one person of color. I was also the only

the lack of infrastructure on the Reservation.

black female student from all of the

“There are no banks, motels, discount stores

school and church groups that went to

or movie theaters and only one moderately

volunteer.

sized

whole

tension between the volunteer groups.

community. Also, over 33 percent of homes

At first, we were very isolated from

have

everyone

grocery no

store

electricity

or

for

the

basic

water

and

other

volunteers being

This

else

were around

resulted

and

not

were

as

such

in

a

some

dubbed

the

sewage systems, forcing many to carry (often

“city kids. ” I was glared at by other

contaminated) water from local rivers daily

adult

for their personal needs.”(True Sioux Hope

would get up and leave whenever we

Foundation)

poverty

of

them

came to sit down. While this resulted in me feeling uncomfortable, the impact of

are linked to the systematic oppression and

the

neglect of the Lakota people by the U.S.

outnumbered the unkind volunteers.

there

lack

some

of

Nevertheless,

and

and

infrastructure on the Pine Ridge Reservation

government.

The

volunteers

are

still

people in the community doing whatever they can to uplift, inspire and fight for justice.

amazing

people

I

met

far

09

A LAND OF BEAUTY PLAGUED BY BROKENNESS As soon as I met some of the people of Pine

Then, I saw where they were sleeping. All four girls,

Ridge, all of my worries were put to rest. We

their mom, and aunt were sleeping on a dirt floor

were fervently embraced and everyone I met

crawling with bugs, broken glass, trash, and empty

was

was

alcohol bottles. There weren’ t any mattresses, and they

fortunate enough to create meaningful bonds

extremely

all had to share the same, thin blanket. We were

and memories with many of the people I

building them their first bed. Once we finished, the

encountered, some of which provided helpful

girls were ecstatic to finally have a bed to sleep on.

insight

into

friendly

the

inner

and

kind.

workings

I

the

When it was time to go they latched onto our legs,

Reservation. Every night a person from the

of

begging us not to leave them. After this, the ride back

community would come to teach and share

was somber and tear-filled. This was one of the most

their experiences, which was inspiring to us.

moving and emotional moments I experienced at Pine

One of these people was Will Peters. Will

Ridge (and one) that I hope I will never forget.While

Peters is a high school teacher and a pillar of

Pine

his community. He has inspired and helped

unemployment, and addiction, it is filled with beauty.

his students through his love, dedication, and

The people I met were all kind, resilient, and full of

music. His speech lasted about two hours and

hope. The people of Pine Ridge do not need our pity,

I was completely engaged for every second.

they deserve our allyship and support. We can help by

There were multiple people, including myself,

volunteering

in tears by the end of his impactful speech.

direct

Mr. Peter’s speech was not the only moving

Reservation, such as Re-member. Another option is

experience that I had on this trip. The other

donating to organizations, such as the Lakota People’ s

experience was on our last workday when we

Law

built bunk beds for a family in Martin, South

systematic

Dakota. The family was large, with siblings,

facing. We can pressure members of Congress to stop

cousins, aunts, and uncles all living in one

pushing the Lakota people to the side, respect their

single, small house. While building the bunk

land and homes, as well as give them financial and

beds I met four incredible little girls, ages

structural support to help rebuild their economy and

three to eight, who were exceptionally sweet

infrastructure. I urge everyone to learn about the

and playful. We sang, danced, and read with

history and statistics of Pine Ridge and if you are

them and they even gave us flowers for our

interested, volunteer, because it will be an experience

hair. My time spent with them was incredible.

you will truly never forget.

Ridge

is

with

a

place

service

communication

Project,

that

are

oppression

Max Streitwieser '20

ravaged

organizations

with,

and

working the

by

Lakota

poverty,

that

impacts

to

on

dismantle

people

are

have the

the still

10 PHOTOGRAPHY

Peter Attarian '21, Jonah Lecompte '21

11

Our Team MEET THE INLIGHT EDITORIAL BOARD!

KYRA LAYMAN '21 CO-EDITOR IN CHIEF & NEWSLETTER LAYOUT

LENA STREITWIESER '22 CULTURAL AFFAIRS

SIGITA PUSKORIUS '21 CO-EDITOR IN CHIEF

LARA CATILINAREBUCCI '22 ARTS EDITOR

STEVEN LEE

INGRID GRUBER '22

FACULTY ADVISOR

COMPARISON CORNER

NICK CATLETTJENKINS '21

KORNELIA MOSTROUS '20

ISSUE LAYOUT

CULTURAL AFAIRS

SPECIAL THANKS TO DAMIAN JONES, CHRISTIANE CONNORS, JULIA H. CAIN, JONAH LECOMPTE, PETER ATTARIAN, MAX STREITWIESER