Indigenous groups launch first national $1 million direct cash program for Native Americans

[G_j]

https://indiancountrytoday.com/the-press-pool/indigenous-groups-launch-first-national-1-million-direct-cash-program-for-native-americans-during-covid-19-pandemic-t430sMt-6kaxhPGEA7myTQ

As federal government breaks promises to deliver relief funds to hard-hit Native communities, groups’ unprecedented program will directly transfer funds to individuals

News Release

The Decolonizing Wealth Project, in partnership with Oklahoma Native Assets Coalition, announced that they will be moving $1 million in direct cash payments to Native Americans across the country in a targeted, national program to provide mutual aid for Indigenous communities hard hit by the COVID-19 crisis. The program launch comes amid the failure of Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and the Trump administration to distribute millions in funds that were promised to Native tribes as part of the CARES Act. The direct cash model puts trust in the hands of recipients to determine what their needs are, providing a cushion of financial support that government programs have failed to provide.

$500,000 will be distributed to members of the Lumbee Tribe in North Carolina, $250,000 to Hopi artists from the Hopi Tribe through the Hopi Foundation in Arizona, and the remaining $250,000 to Native American communities Alaska, South Dakota, and Oklahoma. Approximately 2,000 Native families will be eligible for $500 one-time payments as part of the program, with recipients identified through a partnership with local Native-led organizations and tribes.

“The federal government has totally failed to address the grave situation in Native communities, directly resulting in the suffering and loss of life we’re seeing across the country,” said Edgar Villanueva, Lumbee Tribe member and founder of Decolonizing Wealth Project. “While corporations got a $500 billion bailout fund, Native communities were promised little and received even less. That’s why we are stepping in to care for our own communities and get cash in the hands of the people who need it. We cannot begin to heal from this devastation until we have the resources to protect homes and livelihoods.”

[Sherman A1]

1. We all need UBI