Chavez column paternalistic

This is a response to Staff Writer Will Chavez’s November column titled “Poor Cherokees left behind.” He focuses on two issues: “full-blood Cherokees still get left out or go without” and “how do we help the poorest citizens of our Nation who need a hole in their roof repaired, a door repaired or a window replaced.”

It seems Mr. Chavez invokes a paternalistic or racist argument that “full bloods can’t help themselves so some one else needs to help them.” I have heard some of Cherokee Nation’s elected officials talk about our “poor full bloods,” and I take offense. Most of the full bloods I know do not ask for help from the governments of the United States, Oklahoma or CN. They show up to work on time, prepared and with a good attitude.

They provide for their families, contribute to the community, advance the language and show pride in the CN. If a roof needs patching, a door repaired or a widow fixed, Cherokee people, “full bloods,” are often the first ones to help. Many of the community workers at the CN, the ones in charge of helping the poor, are full-blood bilingual Cherokees. Many of the leaders of the self-help water lines, housing and community buildings are full bloods.

An interesting statement by Mr. Chavez was that these full-blood Cherokees don’t care if the casino is called Hard Rock or not – they are only concerned with survival. Might I remind Mr. Chavez that the only reason the casinos and Hard Rock exist is to create jobs so Cherokees can support themselves and fix their roofs, doors or windows. Economic development is the only way to rid the CN of poverty. That and human kindness.

I assert that if Mr. Chavez knows of a citizen, full blood or not, who has a hole in his or her roof, then perhaps the right thing to do is to help them patch the hole rather than grumble that the CN hasn’t done it for them.

Holly S. Rosser
Via e-mail