More Than "Just Work": Bridging Two Worlds
A Message from Executive Director Tom McCann

When our volunteers decide to come out to Pine Ridge, they are told they can expect a life changing experience, and for most, that is just what happens. Re-Member's volunteers work hard, to be sure, and our projects do make significant differences in the lives of the Lakota people with whom we come in contact. And although the projects are what we "do," Re-Member is much more than that.

We provide the opportunity for our volunteers to experience the awesome beauty that is the Oglala Lakota people. Our volunteers get to see and know a people that, despite all that they have experienced, remain open, genuine and giving. Through the history we provide, through Lakota speakers and staff who share their stories, and through the opportunity to travel throughout the Reservation, our volunteers leave with a sense of what life is like today on Pine Ridge, at the beginning of the 21st century. They leave as advocates of the Lakota.

If one were to merely drive through Pine Ridge Reservation, all the signs of people living in abject poverty would be readily visible; run-down houses, junked cars, graffiti and weariness. But for those who come and stay at Re-Member, an entirely different perspective emerges. You get to see a people who, despite their circumstances and history, are warm, giving and accepting. you get to see survivors, as individuals, and survivors as a culture. And you come to understand, as the Lakota say, Mitakuye Oyasin, "we are all related."

I often tell people that perhaps the biggest problem facing the Lakota people, and Native Americans in general, is that they are "off the radar screen" as we discuss minorities in the United States. There are people, both in the US and across the world, who either do not realize that "Indians" are still here, or believe that they still live in tipis. It is a sad commentary on our society that we do not even teach this part of our history.

At Re-Member, we believe that to truly make a difference, we must bridge the gap that exists between the original residents of this land, and the rest of our country. In the end, both cultures will be better.

The richness that is Lakota culture survives. It can be hidden, but it is here and it is incredible. We are forging strong and lasting friendships by building beds, renovating homes, helping the elderly and disabled, and, ultimately, by providing decent and adequate houses. We can fix that which is broken. As one of our Lakota friends told me, "You bring us hope." And that is a powerful thing.