These quotes, by Steven Charleston, a member of the Choctaw Nation, are timely for the month that contains Indigenous People’s Day, October 10. Note: Indigenous People’s Day 2022 is a state observance in 30 states, including Maryland, and a state holiday in 3 states and 1 federal district.
From Ladder to the Light – An Indigenous Elder’s Meditations on Hope and Courage, by Steven Charleston, 2021, Broadleaf Books, p. 79
“One of the greatest challenges we face in our ascent to freedom is the fear of diversity. Throughout the centuries, oppressive cultures have invented scores of ways to pretend human beings are fundamentally different. They have invented the concept of race. They have developed elaborate caste systems. They have engineered class distinctions. They have economically separated people by gender. They have practiced religious exclusivity and intolerance. The list goes on, but the results have been the same. Humanity has remained fractured along imaginary fault lines created by fear and perpetuated for social control and domination.”
Charleston, a member of the Choctaw Nation, goes on to tell us how to climb the ladder: “In the kiva, we begin overcoming this fear. We begin to see the deeper truth of our own humanity. The higher we climb on the ladder, the more we realize the reality of our own existence. We are not different; we are the same. The light exposes these false divisions and helps us recognize one another for what we are: brothers and sisters in the great tribe of human beings.”
This column is prepared by the BYM Working Group on Racism (WGR) and sent to the designated liaison at each local Meeting. The BYM WGR meets most months on the first Saturday, 10:00 am to 1:00 pm, currently via Zoom. If you would like to attend,contact the clerk at david.etheridge@verizon.net