Tri for Indigenous Residential School Survivors
Donation protected
Kwé Kwé / Hello!
On Saturday, October 30, James Goldszer and I will be competing in the Napa Valley Ironman 70.3 triathlon in honor of Native American / First Nations survivors of residential schools, and in remembrance of those who did not make it home. As a member of the Kanienʼkehá꞉ka (Mohawk, Iroquois) nation, this is a cause that hits close to home for me. The event will consist of a 1.2-mile swim, followed by a 56-mile bike, and a 13.1-mile run.
To raise awareness of the devastating legacy left behind by residential schools, and to honor both the survivors and children murdered or missing, I will be raising funds for the following Native American / First Nations charitable organizations:
• 1/3 of all funds raised will be donated to the National Center for Truth and Reconciliation , an organization leading efforts to expose and memorialize the injustices caused by residential schools through published research, providing support for those affected, and increasing public awareness.
• 1/3 to the Native American Rights Fund , which provides legal resources and funding for Indigenous nations and individuals that may otherwise lack representation, and leads Native advocacy through policy change.
• 1/3 to the National Indigenous Women's Resource Center , a women-led organization that provides safety, justice, and sovereignty to Indigenous women, and is working to address the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Womxn, Girls, & Two-Spirits (MMIWG2S). Homicide rates among Native women are greater than 10-times the national average, and a disproportionate number go unadjudicated and unreconciled.
These are organizations I’ve identified as doing meaningful work in Indian Country through my own research, but I welcome any additional/alternative recommendations!
From the mid 1800s through 1996, Indigenous children were forcibly taken from their families and homes to attend residential schools throughout the U.S. and Canada, with the stated mission to “kill the Indian, save the man” -- in effect, a policy of genocidal assimilation that resulted in the neglect, physical and sexual abuse, and often death of children as young as 4 years old. The irreparable cultural discontinuity and intergenerational trauma caused by the residential school experience is still felt across Indigenous communities today, including my own.
Recently, Native and First Nations communities have begun locating and repatriating the bodies of our lost children; currently, at least 5,296 unmarked graves have been discovered, a number that is increasing weekly as more former school sites are searched.
Those who know me and James well can attest that we're not the most athletically gifted pair (as much as I’d sometimes like to believe otherwise!), but we look forward to training hard and giving our all on Oct. 30 at the Napa Ironman 70.3 triathlon. We're hoping to raise $3,000 in honor and remembrance of those subjected to the tragedies enacted at residential schools.
Nia:wen ko:wa / Thank you for your generosity and donations, any amount is so appreciated!
(Note for friends in Canada: I also accept e-Transfer or Venmo, and will deposit all of these donations here w/the donor's name!)
#everychildmatters #MMIW
Further reading:
Event description: https://alpha.win/event/napa-valley-ca/
MMIW: https://www.csvanw.org/mmiw
White House proclamation on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons by Joe Biden: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/05/04/a-proclamation-on-missing-and-murdered-indigenous-persons-awareness-day-2021/
National Geographic: ‘A century of trauma at boarding schools for Native American children in the Unites States’: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/a-century-of-trauma-at-boarding-schools-for-native-american-children-in-the-united-states
National Center for Truth and Reconciliation (Education): https://nctr.ca/education/
Memo from Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland on federal indian boarding school initiatives: https://www.doi.gov/sites/doi.gov/files/secint-memo-esb46-01914-federal-indian-boarding-school-truth-initiative-2021-06-22-final508-1.pdf
On Saturday, October 30, James Goldszer and I will be competing in the Napa Valley Ironman 70.3 triathlon in honor of Native American / First Nations survivors of residential schools, and in remembrance of those who did not make it home. As a member of the Kanienʼkehá꞉ka (Mohawk, Iroquois) nation, this is a cause that hits close to home for me. The event will consist of a 1.2-mile swim, followed by a 56-mile bike, and a 13.1-mile run.
To raise awareness of the devastating legacy left behind by residential schools, and to honor both the survivors and children murdered or missing, I will be raising funds for the following Native American / First Nations charitable organizations:
• 1/3 of all funds raised will be donated to the National Center for Truth and Reconciliation , an organization leading efforts to expose and memorialize the injustices caused by residential schools through published research, providing support for those affected, and increasing public awareness.
• 1/3 to the Native American Rights Fund , which provides legal resources and funding for Indigenous nations and individuals that may otherwise lack representation, and leads Native advocacy through policy change.
• 1/3 to the National Indigenous Women's Resource Center , a women-led organization that provides safety, justice, and sovereignty to Indigenous women, and is working to address the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Womxn, Girls, & Two-Spirits (MMIWG2S). Homicide rates among Native women are greater than 10-times the national average, and a disproportionate number go unadjudicated and unreconciled.
These are organizations I’ve identified as doing meaningful work in Indian Country through my own research, but I welcome any additional/alternative recommendations!
From the mid 1800s through 1996, Indigenous children were forcibly taken from their families and homes to attend residential schools throughout the U.S. and Canada, with the stated mission to “kill the Indian, save the man” -- in effect, a policy of genocidal assimilation that resulted in the neglect, physical and sexual abuse, and often death of children as young as 4 years old. The irreparable cultural discontinuity and intergenerational trauma caused by the residential school experience is still felt across Indigenous communities today, including my own.
Recently, Native and First Nations communities have begun locating and repatriating the bodies of our lost children; currently, at least 5,296 unmarked graves have been discovered, a number that is increasing weekly as more former school sites are searched.
Those who know me and James well can attest that we're not the most athletically gifted pair (as much as I’d sometimes like to believe otherwise!), but we look forward to training hard and giving our all on Oct. 30 at the Napa Ironman 70.3 triathlon. We're hoping to raise $3,000 in honor and remembrance of those subjected to the tragedies enacted at residential schools.
Nia:wen ko:wa / Thank you for your generosity and donations, any amount is so appreciated!
(Note for friends in Canada: I also accept e-Transfer or Venmo, and will deposit all of these donations here w/the donor's name!)
#everychildmatters #MMIW
Further reading:
Event description: https://alpha.win/event/napa-valley-ca/
MMIW: https://www.csvanw.org/mmiw
White House proclamation on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons by Joe Biden: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/05/04/a-proclamation-on-missing-and-murdered-indigenous-persons-awareness-day-2021/
National Geographic: ‘A century of trauma at boarding schools for Native American children in the Unites States’: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/a-century-of-trauma-at-boarding-schools-for-native-american-children-in-the-united-states
National Center for Truth and Reconciliation (Education): https://nctr.ca/education/
Memo from Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland on federal indian boarding school initiatives: https://www.doi.gov/sites/doi.gov/files/secint-memo-esb46-01914-federal-indian-boarding-school-truth-initiative-2021-06-22-final508-1.pdf
James and I at the finish of our 2020 triathlon. Together, we've completed 3 Olympic-distance triathlons over the past 3 years (photo for clout)
Pre-race 2020, with wetsuits on (for additional clout)
Pre-race 2020, with wetsuits on (for additional clout)
Organizer
Jordan Montour
Organizer
San Francisco, CA