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Arts & Life
The Clarion \ May 21,2020
The Irish repay a 150-year-old debt
By Aia Andonovska
Arts and Life Editor
In 1847, the Choctaw people and Navajo First
Nation dug deeply into their pockets and hearts
and were the first to help the Irish during the
great potato famine. Together they collected
170 dollars to send to starving families. They
had heard about their struggles from across
the Atlantic and graciously decided to help.
Now, 173 years later, the Irish have graciously
returned the favor.
Over 40 people have fallen victim to the
COVID-19 virus in the Navajo nation. There has
been a spike in cases related to the water crisis as
well. An estimated 40 percent of the Navajo do
not have running water and the current drought
in the southwest has not helped this issue at all.
As this crisis has intensified, the Navajo and
Hopi together have set up a GoFundMe in an
effort to raise money for bottled water.
Hundreds of Irish have donated to the cause
and as of May 5, the fundraiser has collected
more than 1.8 million dollars to aid with clean
water, food and health supplies to the Navajo
Nation and Hopi Reservation. Many of these
Irish donors have cited the kindness that occured
in 1847 as the cause of their generosity now.
“I’d already known what the Choctaw did in
the famine, so short a time after they’d been
through the Trail of Tears,” Sean Callahan, 43,
an Apple administrator in Cork City who made
a donation, said on May 5. “It always struck me
for its kindness and generosity and I see that too
in the Irish people. It seemed the right time to
try and pay it back in kind.”
Gary Batton, chief of the Choctaw Nation of
Oklahoma, said in a statement on Tuesday that
the tribe was “gratified and perhaps not at all
surprised to learn of the assistance our special
friends, the Irish, are giving to the Navajo and
Hopi Nations.”
“We have become kindred spirits with the
Irish in the years since the Irish potato famine,”
he said. “We hope the Irish, Navajo and Hopi
peoples develop lasting friendships, as we have.”
The Navajo Nation has had one of the worst
coronavirus outbreaks in the United States.
There have been more than 2,700 cases and at
least 70 deaths as of May 4. The high rate of
diseases such as diabetes and scarcity of running
water as well as several generations living
under one roof enabled the virus to spread at an
exceptional speed.
It is not surprising that the ordeals of Native
American tribes resonate with people in Ireland.
It is estimated that one million Irish people,
mainly poor tenant farmers, died of hunger or
The Kindred Spirits Choctaw Monument in Midleton, ireland. (Courtesy of Ognyan Yosifov)
disease from 1845 to 1849, and another million
emigrated in that period or shortly afterward.
A sculpture stands in Cork to commemorate
this friendship between the Choctaw and the
Irish that began in 1847. It was dedicated in
2017 in Midleton, Ireland.
Editor
Continued from page 5
because every time all my friends and I were
together, in the dorm, around campus, or even off
campus in places like Asheville, were so much
fun and great to be a part of, and they will be
memories I will keep for a very long time,” said
Dickerson. “Some people say that the friends
and connections you make in college are ones
you will keep for a lifetime, and I really and
truly believe that. I am so happy and grateful
for everyone I met and interacted with during
my time at Brevard College.”
Dickerson’s senior project was quite an
interesting one. His project was titled “Chaos in
Kentucky: The Trial of Bob Madon.” “I worked
with Julie Carter to create a Reacting to the Past
style role-immersion game in order to act as a
pedagogical tool to help teach other disciplines,
such as communication, political science, and
criminal justice, other than just history,” said
Dickerson. It centered around Robert Madon,
the former mayor of the small town Pineville,
Kentucky, and his first trial. They learned about
in a LINC class with Wilkey.
One important lesson Dickerson has learned
during his time at Brevard is not to take things
too seriously. He says to get work done but
don’t spend too much time worrying about it.
Once it’s done, spend time with friends and
enjoy yourself.
He also says college is a great place to grow
as a person. “I really learned a lot about viewing
myself, people and my friends in many different
ways that I didn’t before,” said Dickerson. He
experienced different viewpoints in different
situations and learned a lot about himself that
way. “Through all of my experiences and
interactions that I have had at BC, I have really
learned to have much more confidence in myself
and everything I do,” said Dickerson.
He has some advice for younger students at
Brevard and those looking to attend. “Spend
as much time outside on campus, off campus,
and in the community as much as possible with
friends. When you think back on your time in
college, you want to think about the time with
friends and experiences you had more than
just the work you did,” said Dickerson. “Also,
experience as much as you can, be as involved
and as active as you can, participate in almost
anything and everything and make the most of
the four years that you have.”
Dickerson is unsure of his path for the future.
After graduation he has given some thought
to studying communication and/or English in
graduate school. Marketing and advertising
have also been something he has thought about
going into.
No matter what he does, he is determined
to continue with his passion. ”I want to do
writing, whether it’s in journalism, creatively,
or a combination of the two,” said Dickerson.