Thanksgiving collage: What we see v. What is real

PBS: "Lawless Lands"

After watching this video the "Lawless Lands" I became aware of these issues that continue today, yet no one is really aware of it. I found it sad that the justice system does very little for Indian reservations and its citizens. We still see racism and discrimination amongst the Native Americans and we as American service workers set their reported cases aside. One thing that came up to mind is that these cases are resent cases so why aren't we doing anything about it? If this was happening in the cities and to "AMERICANS" the cases would be solved and taken to consideration, but why not to the Natives? The FBI does nothing and in the video itself there was proof that the Indian reservations themselves received money to help the Indian country for new workers to help with those cases yet nothing was done an the money was taken from them after the 9/11 events. By doing this many cases reported within the Indian Country have been forgotten and set aside. Criminals have not been punished and are still around, while those affected receive no relief and remain affected with no justice. Some cases have even been pending for about four or five years that the victims themselves lose hope, give up on those cases and believe that nothing will happen in order for them to gain justice. The Denver post has done a great job in exposing us with the knowledge because much of this is not heard and I believe that we should all have justice it is AMERICA, the "land of dreams" why cant it be equal amongst all races? In the end we see that reservations do not receive the same justice system and it is sad that these social workers do not feel like investigating these crimes for the simple reason that they are natives and would rather handle those white collar crimes.

Women and Change at the U.S.-Mexico Border Chapter 4: Abortion in a Transborder Context By: Norma Ojeda

Views on abortion Mexico vs. the U.S.:

· Is a legally prosecutable crime in Mexico while in the states is the voluntary interruption of pregnancy, which is a constitutional right, although access is limited.
· Abortion in Mexico shall not be punishable if..
1. A negligent abortion: (forced) –that is, when it is the result of negligent conduct by the pregnant woman.
2. An abortion where the pregnancy is the result of a rape… carried out against the woman’s will, as long as its perform within the first 90 days of gestation and a complaint regarding the act has been filed.
3. A therapeutic abortion
-----Notwithstanding these exceptions, the legal practice of abortion is very limited for social, cultural and even political reasons.

· The U.S.-Mexico border creates that social space in which females from Mexico are able to cross over into the states to seek various health-care services one big one being abortion.
· It’s a space of opportunity for them. However it is only the privileged and segment women of the Mexican population are able to receive those services.
· Those that do cross over are the ones with visa or passport. This is how we see that social class also plays a huge role, it discriminates those others based on class differences.
· In contrast US residents cross over to the Mexico side to receive health treatment as well but this includes dental and eye care.


Border Culture Influence’s women’s everyday lives…..
· Their gender
· Sexuality and reproduction
· As well as the choices they make in that regard
The Transborder Context: San Diego-Tijuana
· “ Border culture is seen as a particular cultural system that takes shape emerges in a specific geographic and social context ant that acquires its own identity. Women at the border are exposed to the coexistence of various gender and family systems that are interwoven into a unique culture that is the “border culture” and that combines cultural elements of both societies in a hybrid manner, without replicating one another.” (Pg. 55)

Findings : Diverse Patterns of Abortion among Border Women
Overall, Hispanic border women most assimilated to American society show the youngest age structure of abortion.
While for the Spanish-speaking community females are most likely to get an abortion as they grow older. The highest age group of abortion within these females is 30+.

Overall it is seen that all females fall in the age of 20-24 is the age gap that they have their first pregnancy. (Hispanic women fall among the largest)

Emotions/opinions towards abortion seem to be that within all females (all ethnicities) to be a solution to a problem.

Motives for abortion were huge fact for the females we see that Hispanic Spanish-speaking women they do not want to have more children and it’s a couples decision, abortion is their only option (he doesn’t want the baby; doesn’t have a partner; economic problems) also they believe they are too young and do not want that responsibility as well as having health problems, which in the case of English speaking Hispanics and non-Hispanics was the greatest reason.

Plans after abortion..it is seen that the Spanish speaking Hispanic females do not even think about it or just get over it themselves, yet both Hispanic English speaking and non-Hispanics see methods such as talking and leaning on their love ones.

Mid-Term Topic: The Dann Sisters

"We, the human children of this Earth, all have our own cultures and traditions, languages, and we all like to keep them, as they identify us as one of the many kinds of peoples of the Earth. Our Mother, the earth (land) gives us all the necessities of life: it feeds us, gives us clothes, shelter and cradles us. The US Government is acting like a dictator in just taking our land. I have voiced again and again, Western Shoshone land - our Mother Earth - is not for sale."
-Carrie Dann

Mary and Carrie Dann were great inspirational native females and till this day continue to inspire many. These two traditional Western Shoshone women have been great leaders and have been involved in many political battles and have struggled for cultural, land and spiritual rights. They where victims of the US government trying to take their land and since then have led a 40-year battle in order for them to keep their ancestral land. Not only have they fought their own land yet all Western Shoshone land. Their battle began 1973 when asked for a grazing permit by the US government, yet these native females did not have one since they were in their own land. As quoted in Every Day is a Good Day, "Today we so too many of our young people who have lost respect for the Earth, the water, the air. All they want is to go out and make money." And that is exactly what the government wanted, therefore the Dann sisters were sued by the Bureau of Land Management because of their cattle. The battle continued and by 1979 Mary and Carrie Dann were offered $26 million for their land yet they did not accept. It is valuable property it is their home, their land, their culture, their childhood, they understand where they come from and who they are. Yet the United States cant seem to respect that towards the native population. Their land is more than just 2o grand and the Dann sisters were very strong in not accepting the money because its just a payout. The Dann sisters were able to engage in a battle for many years in order protect their lands. The violation towards their land was for greed and both Mary and Carrie Dann are greatly admired for the great work towards defending their rights and were recognized as recipients for the Right Livelihood award in 1993.

Dissident Women: Key Women Documents pp 3-28 and Introduction

During the section of Key Women Documents I was able to understand and relate to how powerful, stong and motivated these zapatista women really are. I was able to see and understand views and really admired their work as strong native females. I love the fact that they stated their rights, their beliefs and knew how to speak to open every one elses points of view. They were able to reflect on their rights as indigenous women and speak their minds instead of being socialized to fit that criteria of a traditional female and traditional female roles. They spoke about themselves tired of being the less dominant one in the household. Having to follow the males rule. Their mind setting was that they needed to do what was asked by them yet these females started to stand out and speak for what they believed. They knew that they were valuable females, wise and inteligent and knew that they could fullfil any task as well as the males, yet some males did not respect and think of females being less than that and till this day that scenario continues to play a role in our daily lives. This chapter also goes into discussing Article 4 of the Mexican constitution and its unfairness to the native population. How they are not respected by others if they travel, how their language is not respected and how their traditions such as homeade medicine is looked upon as something rare. They as women want those customs to change and to leave them in the past. On the speech for the Mexican Congress a strong Zapatista female made great points in explaning what they wanted. They did not come in a rude matter in fact they presented themselves as strong, educated, professional native women that believed that they could better the place that they call home. They want to be treated as equals, want to have the same equal services and so on to have an equally shared lifestyle.

Women and Change at the U.S.-Mexico Border: Chp 1&2

Women in border situations are rarely discussed within the context of history and in both of these chapters much of the struggles that women at the border go through are clearly explained. We clearly see that the border creates a great division between the United States and Mexico, causing a division in culture and gender roles. Not only that but what I was amazed by was that there is a great a political boundary between these two countries in a way that the cities that are closest to the border in which immigrants that reside with in have very poor government help. The government has cut off public funding, welfare and other policies that affect already poverished families being those of illegal immigrants. This causes non-citizens particularly the immigrants from Mexico to be targeted by the US government. One great thing in which immigration often impacts on women is that they are able to challenge tradition. Females cross the border to take advantage of the different opportunities that the United States offers. Such as those of better jobs("manquiladoras"), a better education for their children yet some of these females do not fight for their wages and are stuck with low paying jobs in which they are able to earn more yet they do not realize this.

In chapter two The Unsettling, Gendered Consequences of Migration for Mexican Indigenous Women, women deeply described their feelings about leaving their lands and moving to as they described it the "global world." One way in which one woman described it as was by "..it was like ripping away something very dear to us" even though they love their land/home it is always the best to leave their motherland to that of many dreams in which we call the United States. Getting here is a struggle and these females do it by building social networks. They have no idea of where they are headed to yet once they get there they know they have the support from others and realize that they aren't alone anymore. One way in which life differs from a woman in Mexico vs the United States is that of chores. Work is harder in Mexico such as in preparing food and washing clothes. Yet some immigrant females today still have that mentality of doing what is expected as a woman. What mainly falls into place with that is the male dominance with in this culture. Females do not have a voice and always follow that of their husbands word, they have power over them. Yet what has happened today is that immigration has had an impact on women in a way that those traditions are starting to diminish. But there is con because these females are now viewed as disrespectful, crazy and out of the ordinary because they leave those traditions behind. In the end immigration has led to many differences with in the Mexican community, women are starting to be aware of their rights and now follow their voices and beliefs.

No Parole Today: Pg 1-17

This book is basically about the experience of the young children and their life's at the white mans boarding homes. Laura Tohe does a great job in explaining the struggles and lifestyles of the children in these boarding homes. She explained how these children were taken away from their homes, their family and culture to live that life of the civilized white culture. These young children were treated very unfair while living in these schools and till this day it still affects them. They were treated as prisoners and were stripped from all their customs. Some tried to run away, some succeed while some died trying, others died from loneliness and some survived. They felt ashamed of what they were their culture, their beliefs, the way they spoke and how they dressed. The white civilized culture did a great job affecting the lives of these children. They were expected to wake up early and follow a precise schedule through out their everyday life's. These children were basically soldiers. Not only that but their culture was not respected at all whatsoever, their names were changed and during roll call these children where humiliated by being called differently from their own names in which they did not have a voice to speak up. It got to a point that these children were trapped and had no escape yet to follow the "rules" of these white people and be the good students that they were expected to be.