The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe has a long history of fighting for their
land

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Now More Than Ever, We Must #StandWithMashpee

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Hey John,

A week ago we celebrated Earth Day. In the middle of a pandemic, universal
calls to lift up the earth and its offerings brought to light the
intersection of pollution, disease, and injustice. For many Black,
Indigenous, and vulnerable communities, it’s a connection too well-known.
For so many of us, first-hand experiences would shift our understanding of
land beyond profit motives to a connection of family, soil, and self. The
Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe lives this. The Mashpee people, much like Black
people in America, have a long history of fighting for their land. Known
as the People of the First Light, the Mashpee inhabited present-day
Massachusetts and Eastern Rhode Island and have possessed the land for
more than 12,000 years. Last month, Trump revoked their protected
reservation status, removing over 300 acres from federal trust protection
because he feared emerging developments on the Mashpee reservation would
interfere with his business interests. We cannot let this happen. There’s
still time to undo this decision by his administration, so we’re calling
on Congress to protect the trusted land of the Mashpee Tribe.

[ [link removed] ]SEND A LETTER: Tell Your Member of Congress to Support the Mashpee
Wampanoag Tribe Reservation Reaffirmation Act (HR 312).

The Mashpee fight for their land is not just about possession but
sovereignty. As a free and dignified people, the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe
sought their economic security through business ownership and were
undermined and delegitimized for doing so. Similarly, the land Black
people would come to reclaim after emancipation-territories of indigenous
people-fell victim to theft and holds memories of widespread terror. From
economic exploitation by way of false deeds, stiff property taxes, and
heirs property, land has perhaps been a reluctant character in the
traumatic and violent fragments of Black history, but it remains
fundamental to the identity and way of life for many Black and Indigenous
people. 

Led by David Bernhardt, the Department of Interior roped itself into a
years-long battle of land, rights, and legitimacy to further invalidate
the Mashpee and did so at the behest of Trump. Trump disestablishing the
protected land of 2,600 people after years of bureaucracy to avoid the
competition of his business interests is not only as equally heinous as
his Ukraine involvement and COVID-19 inaction but speaks to the strains of
his racism. For years, he has sought to delegitimize tribal casinos, other
ventures, and essential infrastructure. He notably stated in reference to
the Mashpee Tribe that they “don’t look like Natives.”^1 What’s unfolding
by way of federal agencies is a vindictive retaliation of indigenous
sovereignty and serenity.

[ [link removed] ]SEND A LETTER: Tell Your Member of Congress to Support the Mashpee
Wampanoag Tribe Reservation Reaffirmation Act and Invalidate the Poor
Decision of the Secretary of the Interior (HR 312).  

The declassifying of tribal land is too often the beginning of land
erosion for protected people. As we have witnessed with the building of
pipelines across the country, the depletion of resources allows for
corporate influence and affects all marginalized communities. In my home
state of South Carolina, Black coastal communities, farmers, and families
have had to defend and protect their land ownership for generations. My
early organizing years began in these communities. Having played with my
siblings and cousins where my grandparents and their parents grew and
planted crops, my earliest memories are linked to the land.

Black and Indigenous folks have always understood that connection to the
land is a connection to one another. As Earth Day reminds us that what
sustains can be lost, it is my hope that we remember that connections are
movements. And in the spirit of movements, we must show up for the Mashpee
Wampanoag Tribe.  With a fast-approaching court date, the decision to take
the Mashpee land out of the trust has ramifications for other first and
Native people throughout the country and can set a precedent for how this
country treats vulnerable communities. Now more than ever we must
#StandWithMashpee. 

[ [link removed] ]SEND A LETTER: Tell Your Member of Congress to Support the Mashpee
Wampanoag Tribe Reservation Reaffirmation Act (HR 312).

 

Until justice is real, 

-Brandi, Rashad, Arisha, Amanda, Evan, Johnny, Eesha, Jade, Marcus,
Samantha, FolaSade, and the rest of the Color Of Change team

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References: .“Tribe That Drew Trump's Fire Over Casino Plan Loses Its
Reservation Status,” Yahoo, April 29,
2020, [ [link removed] ][link removed] [link removed] ]E.

 

Black people continue to be disproportionately harmed by COVID-19. We
created The Black Response to ensure Black people survive this pandemic
and thrive in its aftermath. Visit [ [link removed] ]theblackresponse.org to take action
on the issues impacting our communities the most during the pandemic, and
join our upcoming events, including LIVE conversations with Congresswoman
Pramila Jayapal, and actors Kerry Washington and Marsai Martin on
@colorofchange’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.


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[ [link removed] ]Color Of Change is building a movement to elevate the voices of Black
folks and our allies, and win real social and political change. [ [link removed] ]Help
keep our movement strong.

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