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Religion Forum Index » Christian Methodist Forum » UMNS: Voter-registration drive focuses on Native Americans
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 Posted: Thu Apr 01, 2004 7:22 am |
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Voter-registration drive focuses on Native Americans
Mar. 31, 2004
By Shanta Bryant Gyan*
WASHINGTON (UMNS) - United Methodists are working to mobilize thousands
of Native Americans to register to vote and become more politically
active this year.
The voter-registration effort was highlighted at a March 30 press
conference launching Faithful Democracy, a nonpartisan, interfaith
effort to get out the vote.
During the event, the Rev. Chebon Kernell, a Native American pastor of
Pawnee Indian United Methodist Church, announced a "Rock the Native
Vote" concert and voter-registration and education project, sponsored by
the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference.
"Rock the Native Vote is an effort led by the faith community to excite
people, especially young people in the native community, to join in the
democratic process and let their voices be heard," said Kernell, who is
also director of Interpretation and Programs for the Oklahoma Indian
Missionary Conference, in a prepared statement.
The Rock the Native Vote concert, set for June 5 in Oklahoma City, will
feature a lineup of popular Native American bands to appeal to new
voters ages 18 to 30. Artists range from hip-hop groups and contemporary
rock to reggae and blues.
The nonpartisan concert aims to encourage Native American young adults
to vote in the November presidential election and to create social
change by engaging in the political process. Concert organizers hope to
register some 3,000 voters.
Besides Kernell, other interfaith leaders at the press conference
included the Rev. Bob Edgar, a United Methodist and top staff executive
of the National Council of Churches.
Workers with the Faithful Democracy project unveiled a Web site and
other voter resources, in addition to registering voters after the press
conference. The Rock the Native Vote project will have a link on the
Faithful Democracy site. The United Methodist Board of Church and
Society and the National Council of Churches, of which the denomination
is a member, are official sponsors of the project.
James Winkler, top staff executive of the Board of Church and Society,
issued a statement supporting the voter education initiative and
committing the denomination to promoting efforts to ensure voting-age
United Methodists are registered to vote.
United Methodist voters must be aware of the issues being debated in
this year's elections and be able to cast votes "that are properly
received and counted," Winkler said.
"We look forward to a healthy, civil debate on the important issues
facing our world this year, and we will intentionally support efforts
throughout our churches to prayerfully consider these issues from a
faith perspective," said the head of the denomination's social action
agency.
C. Welton Gaddy, president of the Interfaith Alliance, stressed that the
coalition will not endorse party platforms, campaigns or candidates. "We
will not turn the sacred scriptures of our traditions into political
footballs tossed about to advance a partisan vote," Gaddy said.
Kernell said the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference's voter education
effort was organized to let the native community know that its vote
matters and to put elected officials on notice that the issues faced by
ethnic groups are not being addressed.
"The groups that are active in the political process and are in
communication with elected leaders get their issues addressed," Kernell
said. "We have not done that in the past."
The U.S. economy, loss of jobs and health care were cited as major
national issues impacting Native Americans, 30 percent of whom live in
poverty.
Budget cuts to social services, such as the Indian Health Service, a
federal health program for American Indians and Alaska natives, have
significantly affected native communities in the United States, Kernell
said.
In addition to the concert, the project will encourage Native Americans
to participate in seminars on civic participation and grass-roots
advocacy efforts.
The Rock the Native Vote project is partially financed by an Ethnic
Local Church Grant of $20,000 from the Board of Church and Society.
Neal Christie, a staff executive at the board, said the agency wanted
the grant to help the Native American community make a difference
through a long-term commitment to the democratic process.
"It's all about empowering the Native American voice and engendering
citizenship," Christie said. He emphasized the project's merger of
popular culture, music and civic education to urge young people to vote
in the upcoming election.
Christie explained that the concert will kick off an ongoing effort to
educate native communities about the political process and how they can
advocate to their elected officials on Capitol Hill.
A group from the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference will participate
this year in a seminar on civic participation organized by the board's
seminar office. The conference outreach will include nearly 90 Native
American United Methodist churches in Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas.
Kernell hopes the conference's voter education effort will inspire other
native communities across the United States to become more engaged in
political action "to create a better society with peace and hope."
"We would like to see it grow. We want to raise the awareness as church
people, as United Methodists," he stated.
The concert lineup and information on Rock the Native Vote can be found
at www.rockthenativevote.com. For more information on the Faithful
Democracy Project, visit www.faithfuldemocracy.org/.
*Gyan is a freelance writer based in the Washington area.
********************
United Methodist News Service
Photos and stories also available at:
http://umns.umc.org |
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