September 6, 2022. Update
After emailing the Youth Development Fund requesting all Enrolled Tribal Members that are children be allowed to participate in the program posted above on Facebook Jessica Dumback, the Assistant Director for the Youth Development Fund has stated that she is going to present our request to serve all the children to the Board of Directors. An offer was made to write the resolution to change this, they said they would take care of it. We will follow up if we do not see the resolution on the September 20 Tribal Board Agenda.
August 30, 2022.
We are a Tribe. It is time to act like one.
Reading the Facebook Post above is an example of why the Sault Tribe Guardian exists. We are here to provide independent news along with advocating for the Members that do not live in the seven county service area which is the majority of the Tribe.
We are asking the Board Members to approve funds to expand the Youth Development Fund to help all our children along with removing the income guidelines. It is none of our business how much anyone earns. We need to remove the stigma of having to declare low income along with ending the policy of penalizing folks that don't have low income. Trust our Tribal Members, if they say they need the help, they need the help.
Our estimates based on the number of people claiming to be American Indians living in the seven county area as reported in 2020 Census County Reports verse the number of Enrolled Tribal Members concludes that an estimated minimum of 2800 children are being discriminated against because they don't live in the seven county area when they are denied the right to apply for funding from the Youth Development Fund.
While we know the Tribal Board has a history of discriminating against members not living in the area by not providing them the benefits they offer those living in the seven county area we believe the new board understands this is why the majority of the board members were replaced in the last election.
While the board may not be aware of this issue because of other issues they are dealing with it is time to place funding the Youth Development Fund as needed to serve all our children on the Tribal Board Agenda. They can use the extra cash they saved when they did not provide in the First Round of COVID19 Payments to Tribal Members living out side of the seven county area that will more than cover it. $1500 verse $150. Of course the families would prefer the unrestricted payments of $1500 per member, but it is what it is. Cough up the $150. per child or put the Board Members Vote against it on record for the next election.
