The first Hope and Harmony for Humanity celebrity benefit concert at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion is the culmination of the three-day event organized by the Native American Chamber of Commerce in Houston, scheduled for March 22, 23 and 24.
Proceeds will go toward building "achievement centers" to help Native Americans living on reservations a chance to learn work skills, according to Conroe resident Carroll Cocchia, the founder and chief executive officer of the Native American Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Blackfoot tribe of Montana.
"I got tired of hearing people say "Indians are wealthy because of the casinos," she said. "The reservation casinos do bring in lots of money, but the tribe may only get 1 percent. The people themselves live in abject poverty, and people don't know that.
"We need to help people on the remote reservations."
Because of that povery and lack of hope, Cocchia said, Native Americans have an 18 percent higher suicide rate. According to the Centers for Disease Control, Native Americans age 19 and younger have the highest suicide rate compared with blacks and whites.
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