American Indian Holocaust Tribute in Los Angeles

American Indian Holocaust Tribute Draws National Attention
By Red Nation Celebration

LOS ANGELES -- Elizabeth Kucinich, spouse of presidential contender Dennis Kucinich, participated in the first American Indian Holocaust Memorial/Tree of Life Tribute, which was held on the eve of Thanksgiving in Los Angeles State Historic Park. Kucinich, a member of the International Indigenous Sacred Women’s Council, the group who organized the tribute in partnership with Red Nation Celebration; took time from her West Coast campaign to be on hand for the planting of a memorial sycamore tree to acknowledge the millions of American Indians who died during the colonization of the United States. Red Nation Founder Joanelle Romero painted participants’ feet red, “to symbolize the good Red Road, the path we aspire to walk with our children, their children and all peoples.”An excerpt of the ceremony is currently airing on Congressman Kucinich’s national campaign weekly update. (To view, click here; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rzzZpK07Q8 then scroll in halfway to the 3 minute: 30 second mark.)
Sean Woods, Director of State Parks in the Los Angeles area, stated, “It is befitting and appropriate that the symbolic tree was planted in Los Angeles State Historic Park. The purpose of this Park is to preserve the public heritage of the landscape and more importantly to bring some of the tragic elements of our history to light, rather than shy away from them. We benefit by examining the complete history of Los Angeles, because we cannot begin healing until we recognize the mistakes of the past. The Park serves as a point of reflection for the public. The space was most recently slated for one million square feet of industrial development. From the old historic communities surrounding the park (which are predominately poor), the people rose up and secured the Park for open space. It is therefore a peoples’ park, and history continues to unfold here: Ten thousand years of Native history flows into the recent struggle of the community to make themselves a Park and into this American Indian Tribute to Life.”(Click here to view more photos of the American Indian Holocaust Memorial Tribute to Life ceremony.http://www.jblfilms.com/red_nation_photos.html
Photos courtesy of JB Letchinger of http://www.jblfilms.com/)
RED NATION CELEBRATION proudly presents the Second Annual American Indian Heritage Month, November, 2007, in the City of Los Angeles, “Honoring American Indians as our Nation’s First Environmentalists.” Red Nation Celebration, Inc. is a non-profit organization established in 1995 to provide the American Indian community with human service programs and to encourage awareness of the cultural treasure indigenous nations offer by premiering American Indian performing arts to communities and mainstream media. Red Nation was recognized in 2006 by the State of California “for their tireless efforts to establish the First Annual American Indian Heritage Month in the City of Los Angeles.” Celebrating 12 years of dedication in community service, Red Nation’s work highlights local native communities in Los Angeles (the largest concentration of urban American Indians in the nation), Orange, and Riverside Counties, and extends throughout the State of California as well as across the nation.# # #RED NATION CELEBRATION 9420 Reseda Blvd. PMB 352 Northridge, CA 91324-2974phone/fax: 818.904.9256
email: mailto:info@rednation.comwww.rednation.comhttp://www.rednation.com/