The Occupation of Alcatraz Anniversary

November 20, 2021 marked the 52nd anniversary of the Occupation of Alcatraz. This is when Native Americans from all over the U.S. occupied the island for 19 months, fighting for Indigenous rights. The hope was that the island would be redeveloped as an Indigenous cultural center, museum and school. Although these efforts “failed”, the island became symbolic of the government injustices towards Indigenous individuals and the Native Americans resistance against these indifferences. This is a significant event in the progression of Indigenous rights as it established a precedent for Indigenous activism, putting their lack of civil rights in the spotlight. Thomas Orange integrates the telling of this event into his book, which I believe shows the significance that this event still has on modern Indigenous stories, as well as how it has impacted individuals still living to this day.

This past Saturday Deb Haaland (the U.S. Cabinet Secretary) visited the island among others, to honour the progress that has been made over the past five decades. One of the problems encountered on the island in 1969 was the lack of access to clean drinking water, an issue that they also faced off the island and are still facing on Indigenous reservations today. In the U.S. $13 billion dollars is being spent towards providing Native American communities with resources such as clean drinking water, a basic need all individuals should have access to but are still struggling with today.

There is still a lot of work to be done, as a result of colonization. This occupation of Alcatraz was an effort to reclaim land, as well as gain civil rights such as the privilege to embrace their identity and heritage. Hence, this event was pivotal in Indigenous people’s rights and started a movement that needs to continue to be advocated for. The sharing of stories is crucial, such as the one’s Orange wrote about Alcatraz, in order for Indigenous populations to be heard and seen.

https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/We-re-not-going-anywhere-Sec-Haaland-16638074.php

This is a very important anniverary and connection to the authors we have read through. The occupation of Alcatraz was something that I had heard nothing of prior to reading There There and our discussions in class.
Somthing that strikes me through this, is that they were celebrating the successes of the services and progress that has been made over the last 50 years. This is exciting and something to certainly be proud of. However, the fact that it has been over 50 years since this major protest to stand for indigenous rights is wild. With some quick searches online, there are some statistics that suggest that there are still 1 in 10 indigenous people that are still lacking clean drinking water. (in the U.S)
We live in the developed western world, it is absolutely wild and unbelievable that with all of the 'advancement' of helping our indigenous people, we are still not able to give 10% of the population basic clean drinking water.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/apr/28/indigenous-americans-drinking-water-navajo-nation