In her email regarding Indigenous Peoples Day 2024, Dr Milone-Nuzzo wrote about the intersection of environmental health and Native American peoples. We've shared her message below, for those who did not receive the email.
On Monday, we will celebrate Indigenous People’s Day, a day that recognizes the strength and resilience of the Native American people and their many contributions to our country and the world. As a nation, we have much to be ashamed of in our treatment of the Native American population. We have marginalized them in environments that have contributed to health inequities. As a population, they live approximately five and a half years less than other Americans and they have higher rates of heart disease, neoplasms, diabetes, and maternal child mortality, among other health issues.
This past year, we focused our Power, Privilege and Positionality event on the intersection of race and health with environmental justice. Environmental justice essentially means that everyone—regardless of race, color, national origin, or income—has the right to the same environmental protections and benefits, as well as meaningful involvement in the policies that shape their communities. But we know that rarely people of color or low-income communities have a voice in shaping the environments in which they live. Indigenous communities, because of their close relationship with the land, are often the first to recognize climate changes and its impact on the environment.
What is our responsibility to address the injustices that have been done to the Native American population? As health care providers, we amplify Indigenous peoples’ voices and their right to sovereignty and self-determination. We need to work to preserve the land from excessive mining and the extraction of natural resources that have accelerated degradation. We must include Indigenous people in medical research that will help identify strategies to reduce their mortality, and we have a responsibility to understand their culture and practices to be effective health care providers. This is just the beginning.
This is a day when we celebrate the beauty and strength of the Native American people and their belief that health is far greater than the “absence of disease” and is instead defined by a balance of spirituality, traditional medicine, the health of the Mother Earth and the interconnectedness of all things.
I hope you take some time to reflect on the Massachusett tribe at Ponkapoag, the Indigenous people who came before us and are present today, and the beauty of their culture and the land on which we have our wonderful campus.
