Following Up, With Back Story: Nathan Phillips

I can’t imagine any of us is likely to forget the historic occasion when an Anti-Abortion March and a Native American March and a handful of Black Hebrew Israelites all came together on the very same day.  (Just re-read that, and it sounds a little like I’m about to break into “76 Trombones. I’m not, but I left it anyway.)  Conflicting videos were posted, though the conflict mostly came from the fact that some were incomplete; beyond that, disagreement was very much a matter of interpretation, which itself was pretty much a matter of preconceived notions.

It turns out that Nathan Phillips, the gentleman who was so much in the spotlight with his drum, was there because he had come to be part of the first annual Indigenous People’s March.  A delegation from the Lakota People’s Law project, which did such fine work at Standing Rock and elsewhere, was also there, including Chase Iron Eyes, who knew Nathan before the event, as well as Phyllis Young and Daniel Nelson, who first met Nathan there.

It was Daniel who sent out the email from which I now quote extensively.  It’s not on the Lakota Law website, so I can’t just link to it

I must now share some important news with you about our organization’s work over the past two weeks and our plans for the coming year. I’ll summarize: Chase and I were with Nathan Phillips most hours of every day last week, helping him bring his message of a just peace into every household in America.

It all started when Chase, Phyllis, and I were recently in Rapid City working on a Green New Deal for Indian Country. Phyllis and Chase introduced me to the organizers of the first annual Indigenous People’s March (IPM), and we joined them in their cause. Over the next month, we did outreach to media on behalf of IPM and scheduled our Lakota staff as spokespersons. I and other colleagues joined conference calls, gave strategic input, and provided logistical support.

We traveled to D.C. on Wednesday January 16th, and Chase, Phyllis, and I participated fully in the Indigenous People’s March on Friday. Chase and Phyllis spoke during the rally and we met with Congresswoman Deb Haaland, one of the first two Native women elected to Congress. The march was a success, and we were feeling grateful to have played a role—but then, as you know, something alarming and extraordinary happened: a serious act of racism at the Lincoln Memorial on Martin Luther King Day weekend.

As most of our team was enjoying the Women’s March on Saturday, I got a ping from an ally at IPM: a video was going viral of Omaha-Ponca elder Nathan Phillips—a friend of Chase’s and Phyllis’ and a Standing Rock water protector—being harassed by a group of MAGA hat-wearing boys in the aftermath of our own rally. I realized I had been 100 yards away from this when it happened: I had been sitting in our van waiting for Chase when someone stopped by and expressed concern over his safety. She said he was near a rambunctious group of anti-abortion marchers. As it turns out, Chase didn’t get caught up in the melee, but he observed it from a few yards away and was alarmed.

Because our Lakota People’s Law Project had been assisting with media prior to, and during, the IPM March, the IPM leadership committee called on me Saturday morning to issue a press release about the Nathan video. I gathered whatever facts I could, ran a draft by the IPM leadership team, and we got the release out.

As I mentioned, Chase knew Nathan. He had actually asked someone to take [the photo above] immediately before the incident at the Lincoln Memorial. And during the media frenzy that followed our release, it didn’t take long for Chase and me to find ourselves in the same room with Nathan—we encountered one another at CNN’s studio, where both Nathan and Chase were doing interviews. We had a brief exchange and then Nathan slipped away.

Chase and I scrambled all day Saturday and Sunday to field requests from media on behalf of IPM. This mainly meant scheduling interviews for Chase, since he had been actually present for Nathan’s encounter. Chase spoke to CNN, MSNBC, the Washington Post, the New York Times, and Democracy Now, to mention just the highlights….

Over the next five days Chase and I stayed at his side, working with IPM to give wrap-around strategic and logistical support. We did research, discussed potential talking points with Nathan, gave feedback after press appearances, and maintained the schedule of interviews….  It was an intense week. Things culminated in Nathan’s historic interview on NBC’s Today Show on Thursday morning. To top it off, Nathan and I had a 1 hour conversation with world-famous hip-hop artist Jay-Z, who called in to offer moral support and permit us to use his name to promote our cause.

The world has been changed permanently this past week, and Chase and I, along with IPM, tried our hardest to steer that change in a positive direction. For one, our march and the media coverage of Nathan’s experience made Trump tweet. We also ensured that an Indigenous voice was as loud as possible in the face of a clearly orchestrated PR effort on behalf of Nick Sandmann led by a Kentucky firm linked to Senator Mitch McConnell (GOP). We put Nathan front and center in the public consciousness. We reminded the world of what a prophetic, nonviolent demand for Peace with Justice looks like.

Nathan’s courage will be remembered forever. He stepped into the middle of a profane, racially charged exchange that symbolized the dark side of race relations in our country: it was the MAGA hat-wearing sons of southern, white plutocrats against a small group of strident, abysmally missguided [sic] African Americans, the Black Hebrew Israelites (if you need a comprehensive overview of the entire incident, ABC Nightline did a good one). Remarkably, a Native American, whose ancestors faced genocide at the hands of European immigrants to America, stepped into danger with a drum and ceremonial song to deliver peace. When confronted by both hostile parties, he kept his rhythm; he stayed until his work was done that day. He made good on the memory of Martin Luther King, whose “I Have a Dream” Speech was uttered at that same location 56 years ago.

Now Nathan’s work continues, and the Lakota People’s Law Project stands ready to help him in any way we can. We are advising him to stay on the side of Peace with Justice. Here is the best rendition of Nathan’s vision for the world that I have seen to date, a moving video made by Al Jazeera….  The culture of violence and inequality that Trump has fostered in America must be confronted aggressively but without malice. This is the pathway to healing…. We will dig deeply into ourselves and find the resources to preserve and strengthen the first modern democracy in the world, while never forgetting to make it increasingly just. Peace without justice is just tinder waiting to be lit, avoidable suffering covered over by disguises. We do not want that kind of peace.

I have to agree with Daniel that peace without justice is no peace at all … no matter how many people buy into it.    I am seeing news sources stating as fact their opinion that this story is a non-story.  I can’t agree.  Neither does Lakota Law agree  What do you think?.

Cross posted to Care2 HERE.