Note: This diary is in support of an ongoing crowdfunding effort by the North American Indian Center of Boston (NAICOB). The funding will play a crucial role in helping regenerate the building they've occupied for the last 40 years. Please help in any way you can - ideally, by Rec'ing and sharing as widely as you can, and if time and finances allow, with whatever you can provide to help with the fundraising effort. Times are tight for many of us - simply sharing news of this effort is more than appreciated. Please read on, and thank you.
"We're still here." It's a statement of fact. Perhaps a touch of defiance in the tone, perhaps taunting to some and - for many others - a definite element of pride, persistence and legacy. It's a phrase that should remind the collective consciousness of all that - in spite of the relatively invisible status often assigned to Native American issues in the mainstream media and national discourse - the nations and people still survive. They have not died out - their legacies, their histories, their cultures, and most importantly their people- still survive.
It is also a phrase that echoes still in and around the North American Indian Center of Boston: they've been here, and remain here, after 40 years. They've got the better part of a 99 year lease on their building - they'll be 'round for a while more.
But they need help regenerating the building. And we can, individually and collectively, provide that help in two ways:
- Spread the word about their ongoing fundraiser. Share it with all your networks, all your contacts, all your relations.
- If - and only if - you can afford to contribute to the fundraiser, chip in anything: from $1 to $3 or more. Every little bit helps move them closer to their goal.
There are 50 days left for them to achieve their goal of $200,000. They've raised just shy of $2,000 so far. If we could spread the news of this fundraiser and remind people of the importance that NAICOB plays in the New England area for Native Americans, the goal is more than achievable even with everyone giving only a dollar or three. The more widely we can spread the news, the more people who will be aware and have the opportunity to chip in.
In the image above, I superimposed two photos of the main hall - one, when the hall was empty. And one when it was alive with activity and people. The echoes of the past, of events and families, are fairly tangible even when the hall is empty - but are those fading echoes of the past only, destined to dwindle over the remainder of the 99 year lease, or are they enriched by the reverberations of future events - family & friends, joining together and continuing to support and build community out into the future? Are the transparent images only reflections and echoes, or do they include continued visions of a future yet to come?
There's already a rich history within the building. I'd like to see it continue, to grow and have future generations add to it. The building is the touchstone for NAICOB and the growing community of Native Americans in and around Boston: help us help NAICOB raise the funds to regenerate the building, and strengthen their capacity to build and extend their legacy.
Thank you.