Native voters urged to make voices heard June 9, 2004  By Ginny Underwood*
OKLAHOMA
CITY (UMNS)—Attention to the needs of the Native American community was
the focus of “Rock the Native Vote,” a daylong event on June 5. “Rock
the Native Vote” is an effort led by the faith community to encourage
Native American young adults to vote in the November presidential
election and to create social change through the political process. More
than 500 people gathered to hear contemporary Native artists and to
participate in the voter-registration effort to highlight the needs of
Native Americans and other ethnic groups. “It
went off pretty well for a first time event,” said the Rev. David
Wilson, superintendent of the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference of
the United Methodist Church and chair of the “Rock the Native Vote”
planning committee. The concert was the first step in a concerted effort to register people and encourage them to vote. Volunteers
registered 60 new voters, only a fraction of the goal of 1,000.
However, the issues took center stage with local and national media
covering the activities. “Our people need to realize that if we don’t speak out personally and at the polls then our voices will not be heard.” One
major concern facing Indian country is government funding for health
care programs relating to diabetes, heart disease and alcoholism. “We
want to continue the movement,” Wilson said. Several tribes in Oklahoma
and across the country have contacted the Oklahoma Indian Missionary
Conference wanting to host similar events. “We feel like we inspired and helped give other people ideas on how to bring attention to voter registration.” Wilson
says African American churches across the country provide a powerful
example of how important it is for churches to be involved in the
electoral process. Those churches have long been involved in civil
rights and shaping public policy. “Indians don’t have the numbers that
African American churches have, but our voices still need to be heard,”
said Wilson. Plans are already underway to hold another “Rock the Native Vote” event before the 2006 elections. In
the meantime, Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference members will be
working with other tribes to create smaller regional events.
*Underwood is the director of United Methodist News Service. News media contact: Ginny Underwood, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5124 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
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