This event was conceived with the idea of combining our passion for basketball with a passion to make a difference. Supporting Native voting allows our communities to thrive, and what better way to inspire participation than bringing our communities together through something we already love?
It’s challenging for many Native People to participate in a system that was not built for our participation or success. Many of our elders today were even born without the right to vote in state and national elections.
Sadly, even in 2022, voter suppression is still the norm in our communities. This year The Lakota People’s Law Project, the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, and the Oglala Sioux Tribe won a federal lawsuit against the state of South Dakota for its repeated violations of the National Voter Registration Act. This will be a big help! Still, so much is left to be done to promote inclusivity and voting rights.
In the Early 1900s, the Sport Offered a Rare Physical and Mental Refuge From Oppressive ‘Indian Schools’—and the Chance to Develop Distinctive Identities
Four girls teams in Tri-State Indian School basketball tournament. Rapid City Indian School, 1929. Courtesy of the Department of the Interior, Office of Indian Affairs.
Nowhere today are people more passionate about basketball than in Native American communities. Why?
The hoops seen outside most homes and gathering places on western reservations speak to basketball’s cultural significance for Native peoples. For them, the sport is more than a pastime. It has become a modern expression of indigenous identity and pride, and a glue that bonds families and tribes more tightly together.
READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT ZOCALO