The sisters of Sacheen Littlefeather, an actor and activist who refused an Academy Award on behalf of Marlon Brando in 1973, claimed that she wasn’t actually Native American. “The best way that I could think of summing up my sister is that she created a fantasy,” her younger sister Trudy Orlandi, told the San Fransisco Chronicle. “She lived in a fantasy, and she died in a fantasy.” In an opinion column published by the San Fransisco Chronicle, writer Jacqueline Keeler interviewed Littlefeather’s sisters, Rosalind Cruz and Trudy Orlandi, who claimed that Littlefeather is not actually Native American.
There is a Free Nationwide Program for Native American Families Affected by Addiction ….Hazelden Betty Ford expands reach of its virtual family programs. With the ongoing substance use and mental health crisis continuing to disparately impact Native Americans, the nonprofit Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation has launched a culturally specific educational and support program for Native American families—accessible at no cost right in the home, regardless if their loved one is in treatment. All sessions are presented live virtually and held one Wednesday per month, from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. CT. Anyone interested in participating in the Native American Virtual Family Program can register at hazeldenbettyford.org/family….
On November 8 South Dakotans will vote whether to approve Amendment D, requiring the state’s Medicaid program to cover adults aged 18-64 with incomes below 138 percent of the federal poverty level. If they do, about 42,500 low-income South Dakotans — most of whom work in jobs with low pay or with fluctuating hours — could qualify for affordable health coverage starting on July 1, 2023. Expansion would also help reduce health disparities in Native American communities, while bringing in millions of dollars available to the state to offset health care costs.
