PEMBROKE — Young members of the Lumbee Tribe presented its governing body a drum with red hand prints Thursday, symbolizing their opposition to the use of children as soldiers in some countries.
Promoting awareness of the fact that children are still used as soldiers in some parts of the world is a project this year of the tribe’s Boys and Girls Club. The project is being conducted as part of the Boys & Girls Club of America’s national Keystone initiative, which this year focuses on military veterans.Although by United Nations protocol the use of children as soldiers has been illegal since February 2002, the U.N. estimates there are still 250,000 child soldiers worldwide.
The drum presented to the council Thursday includes the handprints of Tribal Chairman Purnell Swett, Tribal Speaker Ricky Burnett, and John Lock, cultural coordinator for the tribe’s Pembroke Boys & Girls Club. It also includes the prints of members of the Young Society drum group.
According to the Red Hand Organization, it is hoped the red hand effort will result in pressuring governments, and non-government entities still using children in warfare to cease such actions.“It is overwhelming seeing our youth work together like this, representing the Lumbee people,” Burnett said. “We need to encourage our youth to get involved. One day they will be sitting up here where we are today because we instilled in them what it means to be Lumbee.”
In other business:
— Council members, saying they still need more information, put off acting on an ordinance that would establish a Tribal Designated Housing Entity to oversee the administration of the housing program.
In December, council members appeared on the verge of moving toward establishing the TDHE as proposed by former Councilman Welford Clark. As proposed by Clark, the TDHE would be overseen by a board of directors made up of all 21 Tribal Council members, the tribal chairman, and two tribe members appointed by the council. Employees in the tribe’s housing department would be under the direction of the board of directors rather than the tribe’s executive branch.
— The council approved a rural health and wellness partnership between the tribe and The University of North Carolina at Pembroke. According to tribal spokesman Alex Baker, the university will be working with the tribe to conduct surveys and collect “raw” health data relating specifically to the Lumbee people.
(February 2010) The Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina Boys & Girls Clubs collaborated with the Keystone Club, Beta Chapter of Alpha Pi Omega Sorority, Inc., the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina Homicide and Motor Vehicle Death Prevention Program and Teen Tobacco Prevention Program to host the Red Hand Social at the Lumbee Regional Development Association building on Prospect Road in Pembroke on Thursday, February 11, 2010 at 6 p.m.
Over 200 people attended the coalition in support of saying no to the use of child soldiers worldwide. Keystone club members promoted awareness of child soldiers by presenting worldwide statistics and giving the history of the cause. In honor of those children still being utilized as soldiers the attendees conducted a Round Dance throughout the building and extended the dance into the night symbolizing their support of the coalition. The completed banner of hand prints created by all attendees in support of the coalition will be presented to Chairman Purnell Swett on Thursday, February 18, 2010 at 6:30 p.m. in conjunction; a drum with hand prints stamped by every drummer in attendance will be presented to the Tribal Council of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina.
(February 2010) The Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina Boys & Girls Clubs will be hosting the Red Hand Social at the Lumbee Regional Development Association building on Prospect Road in Pembroke on Thursday, February 11, 2010 from 6 p.m. until midnight.
“Boys & Girls Clubs of America has a Keystone program and every year they come up with a national project to complete,” stated Pembroke Boys & Girls Club Unit Manager Ellen Lowry. “This year they chose to do the Show Your Support (SOS) project which focuses on soldiers and veterans locally, nationally and globally.” In order for a club to be a member of the Keystone program it is required to participate in the project of the year in which this case is the SOS project. However, each club can elect to do something different to contribute toward the project’s focus.
One of the Lumbee Boys & Girls Clubs initiatives will be toward promoting awareness about child soldiers worldwide through the Red Hand Social. According to a protocol from United Nations Convention of Children Rights the use of child soldiers has been illegal since February 12, 2002. However, there are still 250,000 child soldiers worldwide according to UN figures.
“In conjunction with the evenings activities we are going to have a drum that will already have Chairman Swett’s red hand print on the surface,” explained Lowry, “and every drummer present that night will be able to put a red hand print on it as well, which will later be presented to the Tribal Council.” The Red Hand symbol stands for support in the coalition by saying ‘NO’ to child recruitment and the use of child soldiers, according to the Red Hand Organization. This effort is to put increased pressure on those governments and non-governmental armed groups which have yet to ratify the protocol made by the UN to stop the usage of child soldiers.
Through this endeavor over 300,000 red hand prints have been collected. For more information on the Red Hand Social or any of the Lumbee Tribal Youth Services programs please contact John Oxendine at (910) 522-2217.
