Lumbee Leadership Among Women (_!
Should Be Supported by Churches and.
Communities
To ?M Editor
The Book Of tells im thai
God created man. then He crated
women Some will my God created
what am believe*, we muat elf agree
thai women aad men. although
are different from one another
However, for the mod pari, women
ate not often rewarded for the mam
things they do
All nationalities in Robeson
Count) are vet) fortunate to have
women of diafmctiuu in various roles
This letter, however addresses vomc
?A the concern* I have about the lack
of appreciation and Mippon mam
Native American women are getting
from within the Native American
community We have many women
who have dedicated years of hard
work to yobs outside the home, while
taking cart of a family and vet still 1
finding the time lobe involved in their
church and Community
The Robeson County Humsn
Relations C ommittee had its stait
under Mrs Roxanoe Hunt Ms Hunt
and the commission dared to address
tsuet and accept the challenge of
making Robeson Counts hettti
Ruth Dial Wood* provided extensive
leadership to the pubtk schools of
Robeson County Virginia Jacobs.
Emma Lockiear. Dorothy Lower),
and Patricia Hunt. Attorney Arhnda
Locklear and t ywhia Hunt have no
doubt withstood adversity in serving
the people they love Conoce Braybov
has provided the avenue to voice
community and political concerns
From the homemaker. to the factory
worker, in the classroom, or in .the
tobacco fields, women have the glue
in most situations
There are many others far too
numerous to identify, who have been
instrumental ui the development of
the Lumber tribe but I do want to
speak on behalf of the 23 women who
serve with IV men on the project of
draftings Lumbee Constitution These
women and men ate church delegates
who represent communities of men.
women, children, both the vuung and
the old They have been assigned the
duty of drafting the Lumbee Tribal
Constitution, a protect funded by the
General Communon on Religion and
Race of the United Methodist Church
The work the committee is doing will
embark the county on a new beginning
aod offer great economic
development They have a tremendous
challenge writing a constitution to
govern and represent the people fairly,
respectfully, and economically To
assist in meeting this challenge they
have scheduled community meetings
to listen 10 the PEOPLE's concerns. H>
make vine Hie PEOPLE liate a voice
in drafting j constitution rhev can live
and abide vitb But this challenge
also requires the support of the
churches and communities they
represent as we 11 as the Lumbee people
as a whole.
to these tiroes it is easy to be
complacent and comfortable with
allow ing others to take responsibility
for leadership When we delegate
leadership roles, we should stood
behind those people and speak out
when injustices occur. Many of the
men on this committee have
previously served in leadership roles,
they know the personal problems often
associated with being a voice of the
people. Many of these women have
not had to face personal adversity
such as Ms. Ruth B. Locklear. an
active member of the Prospect
community and past Director ofTnbal
Enrollment, having devoted the last
decade of Lumbee Federal
Recognition to suddenly find herself
on an indefinite leave of absence Ms
Locklear continues to work toward
the dream of federal recognition.
Let us come together and commend
Ms Ruth and others for the work they
are doing. They deserve it. they have
earned it The next delegate meeting
is scheduled for Saturday. March 12.
beginning at 9:00 am at the Indian
Resource Center in Pembroke. Let me
encourage each of you. pastors,
deacons, and members of the churches
and community to come out and listen
as these delegates struggle with issues
directly affecting the Lumbee people
Ronald Hammonds
Saddletree Community
An open letter fo Sheriff Hubert Stone
about article in GQ Magazine
To the Editor:
This it aa open letter to Sheriff
Hubert Stone, h it in response to Iiis
kommentt in the "Oentlmen s
Quarterly." the March issue
Mr. Stone, in my opinion, vuur
Inpny in that artilce was awful I
wonder if yon have completed the
third grade It it my feeling thai vuur
tuotes by Mr Scum Raab made m<
alto wonder it von could be a mv agt
yourtelf.
Yea. Mr Stone. ?ve have tttduu>
men who drive to Raleigh .tnd
Charlotte to hang sheet rock but I am
loldthai they are paid SIOO or more
per day I have mends who work in
textile plants who ate paid at high as
142 to SIS per how
Yet. we auitt have tome savage*
m Robe ton Countv That it the onh
way | can explain them keeping vou
w office far 16 years You need to
know Mr Stone, that 1 am Indian and
?ume ot my best friends are Bla?.k.uul
?he\ are very much dedicated to nn
?ad
Appai enlh. vou have tot uorten ttw
statistics im the killing of whites b>
whites I have read ihaHace kills as
manv as 50 people a year, and some of
litem kill a to 15 at one blow I have
read thai some even eat the flesh of
their v ictims. I have never heard of a
serial killer who was either Indian or
Black This information has been in
all (Hit local and national papers
Stanai.aH> some whites have
killed "HNc people in one Dkw than
Indians kill in ten years
t?en the whites thai I spoke with
over 'he weekend felt that ou
definite!'. .ould not be erv well
education, it we base it on the GO
magazine
Mi Stone. I hope all Indians will
go to the polls and vote Indian. Thai
would he the hewt thiny in the upr oming
election Of course, we have good
people of the while race although
according toCiQ magazine, you don't
know am good" Indians or Blacks
i am wnt . thai vou singled .outsell
? hii I use <' have Inch remarks fot
.(Hi. tni* '? ctkfii * realize until -if'
magazine you felt as you do about
Indians
If you had been seeking re-election.
I wonder if you would have made
those statements Now. you want a
position as a federal marshal I and
actually may be appointed I am just
amazed at that I had hoped to support
Mr Clinton, if he seeks re-election If
\ ihi are appointed a federal marshal. I
will base to re-think my position
And while I am talking about
elections, may I remind Indians and
Blacks that I would recommend that
thev vote for Richard Townsend for,
District Attorney. If they vote for
Luther Johnson Bntt. they will again
vote for someone who does not care
about Indians and Blacks. I believe
rW*t ttrts can be documented by Ms
tenure in the district attorney's office
as assistant district attumev
And a vote for Lum tow ards is a
vote for Hubert Stone
Myrtle Ruse Luvkleur
Route I
Rem broke. A <
The Sunday School Lesson ;
hyJohm JL Brayboy. Salem biitsioaary Baptist Church
Receiving God'* Gift
Romans 4:13-25
1 God's Promise Received
through faith<4 13-172 >
2 Abraham's Example of faith
(4 176-22)
3 Righteousness given to all
believers (4:23-251
In the background scripture Paul
says that we are justified by faith not
by deeds of the law In Roman 3-21
the scripture says " For all have sinned
and come dwn of the glorv of God
We are justified bv grace through
Christ Jesus
I. God's promise received through
Faith (4:13-172*
The promise made to Abraham
was not by the law but by faith Faith
by the law would make H void and of
noeffecl In essence to obtain sal vat ion
one would have to obev the law
completely, but salvation is not of
?votks Salvationist* grave and grace
is God unmerited favor toward man
The promise is of faith bv grace
Therefore the promise is ?urr tot all
seed, not only those under the law hut
those which are of the faith of
Abraham, the fbther of all Coutran
to what some people teach and believe
that you have to work to be mvcdor do
something worthy, the Scripture
teaches us that it is a faith wav and ha."
always been We work because we are I
saved not to be saved In verse 172 i
God had made Abraham a father of
many nations. If the promise of
Abraham was made before law then it
did not hinge on works or keeping the
law but faith
II Abraham s Example of Faith
14 176-22)
God had promised Abraham that
he would be a father of many nations '
Abraham being old and without a
child of his own believed God even
though he *aw no hope We see that
Abraham even though he did not see
physical evidence of God s promise
lie believed God The scripture says
Abraham considered not the deadness
of his bodv or the deadness of Sarah's
womb The promise in man's eves
was an impossibility but with God all
things are possible Many times we
are laved with coses and ti looks as if
there is no wav.out but with faith in
Cmd lie makes a w ay for us Abraham
hrlie- rd ilut God would perform that
which lie had promised For a person
io he sav ed the v must do like Abraham
and lake god at his word
One must do as Abraham and
exercise taiib Paul says in verse 22
thai Abraham's faith in God was
imputed io him tor righteousness As
Abraham * righteousness was imputed
lo him by faith so is our righteousness
imputed to us through Jesus and the
finished work on Calvary Abraham
was lookingtothe cross, we are looking
back at the cross
111 Righteous Given to All
Believers (4:23-25)
In verse 23 Paul says that it was
not written for Abraham's sake alone
that righteousness was imputed to him
We therefore see that if God imputed
righteousness to Abraham through
faith then ifGod is the same yesterda).
today and tomorrow then our
righteousness is imputed by faith in
God When we believe the gospel (the
birth, death burial and resurrection i
then righteousness is imputed to us
Christ being put to death for our
offenses, was raised for our
justification. Christ died for our sins
but had he not resurrected we could
not be justified, but because lie lives,
we van live. If vou liad not exercise
fiuth and accepted Jesus Christ and
the finished work on the work on the
cross. I urge you now to accept Jesus
now We ate all only one heartbeat'
from eternity Where will you spend
eternity
Pray lor us at Salem God Bless
You Remember man may go to hell
m any way be chooses, but he can only
go to Heaven in the way God has
chosen
/
JO ANN LOCKLEAR
"27 Tear* Haads-On Experience"
8 Tear* - Deputy Clerk of Superior Court
18 Tear* - Assistant Clerk of Superior Court
iLFDmswesow or hasd week, rAieiiies
l^setsuSlfcsyymlsi lisoi^^esp Iwr
Paid for by Sm Comnuttse to Elect io Ann Lucklesr
Cleric of Superior Court, Robeson County
Readers' Forum ?1
Reader Asks question: Can we be
peaceful and still be Native American?
I nude H home last week I wanted
to see how Grandpa Spotted Tutile.
Painted Turtle s father was doing He
had a mild stroke. !l'm asking that we
remember him in our prayers A good
friend of mine Morgan Eaglebear and
I held a pipe ceremony for him at Pai
Locklear sof Red Spnugs Now before
anyone goes to jumping to
conclusions, a pipe ceremony is a
prayer meeting Their is nothing in it
ihat the" Old And Foolish" (M v term
tor those without God. Read Epfa
4.22-23) could get HIGH on.
Morgan who is Apache, prayed
and discussed a tew things that really
touched me Attei we finished our
prayer meeting he discussed the need
tor our people to recognize the fact we
do have a culture, and yes it is very
Native American Morganonlv started
reading about our people a few y ears
ago and he has been impressed with
?lie things lie has read One pel son lie
vas erv interested in was Mi ernun
' ooper of Hoke C ouniv I told him n
was really sad that Mr. C ooper Itau
passed away a tew years ago
Morgan stated the fact our people
seem more interested in other Native
<vmencan cultures than then own
This made me think of a letter thai w as
written by Jimmy Boy Dial, which
even lie had some wrong ideas as to
what powwows are I see nothing
wrong with the way our kids dress at
jowwows If Jimmy Boy Dial knew
is much as lie said he did. lit would
-.now plains .ulture were nivvavs
sorrowing from each other all ilk
tunc H read as it lh? lie ail had been
lined w itii plains Indian culture iotas,
?lo one looks at powwow? a> being
some kind of sacred ceremony a
natter ot fact not all Native Americans
go to powwows, some of them onlv go
to ceremonies and others have very
little with anvthing dealing Native
\mericans. True powwows started
out being sacred ceremonies, but not
anymore Jimmy Boy did have a point
about the way some, not many. Jnninv
Bov. are obtained and possessed in an
illegal manner When you said many
of these feathers are obtained in this
manner it implied you knew how I
came about mine If you really knew
how I obtained mine you would know
I got mine in the right way I' m going
10 tell vou Jimmy Boy like I did
tormei Governor Martin if you don't
want our people buying drugs or eagle
leathers go tell the people who sell
them to our kids Then you educate
our kids on why they should not buy
them. I'm sure your intentions were
good but it's always better to educate
someooe than to criticize someone
especially our children
Back to what Morgan fcaglebeax
and I discussed, he went further to say
that society as a whole is more
interested in a group that fights and
kills, than a peaceful one. Morgan isa
decedent of Geroiumo. so he knows
what he i? talking about, he knows
ahoui Hem 1 Jerry Low ru also He
vasnoMrvnig loiakeawav ironuliesr
men s efforts Out lie did ask what
about those who lived their lives fix
peace. I thought can't we be Peaceful
and still be Native Ameribans. or does
society think that only those who fight
count Whichreallygotmetothinking
aboui some people, such as the
following Mv ancestor George
Washington Lowne who started a
petition to trv and stop the government
from enacting the "Indian Removal
Act", better known as the "Trail of
Tears sure he didn't accomplish hist
goal but nr-ither did Mates see the
promise land, nor did Martin Luther
km* see liH dream fulfilled I ioukl
be wrong but i tiuiuv tins is tne same
George Lowne who gave the eulogy
at New Hopes Church tor his sons,
w here he stated the following
"We have always been friends of
while men We were a free people
long before the white men came toour
land Our tribe lived in Roanoke in
Virginia W hen the English came in
our land, we treated them kindly"
W hat about people like Preston
Locklear. Rev W.L. Moore. Rev.
Venus Brooks. Rev. Simeon
Cummings (just to name a few). I
think of our religious leaders and how
they e#w*ed our people greatly 1 feel
it is because of our traditional values
as Native Americans is why we are a *
very religious people Even among
those who are Old and Foolish people
who are not saved, who don't go to
Church or practice their religion knoww
a great deal about the Bible and ..
Christian teachings. Go to just about
any of our Native American Churches -
in Robeson County and you'll hear .
terms like the Holy Spirit, lavingooof.'.
hands, guarding angels, anointmg with* ?
oil. prayer and fasting. True all these a
terms are deep rooted in Christian ,
theology, but are you aware that these.
practices are also rooted into Native .?
American traditions as well There <
are many parallels, such as Native- >.
Americans use a combination of water
and smoke to cleanse themselves an
religious objects with The Native
American traditionalist believe one i.
must pray and fast to receive answers-1
to prayers They also believe that i
before the spirit can fully develop the -
body and mind must be brought under -
control (I Peter 1:13). -c
I believe that our ancestors seen a
lot of common ground between the '
Native American traditioual beliefs
and Christian theology this is why we
accepted Christian beliefs so fast, but- '
here were still people like Mr V ernon
l ooper. Ms Nepsie Braveboy. Aaron ??
Carter, who practice both Christian
and Native teachings, but it wasn't
just these people. What aoout all the
Midwives. and people who could blow ..
fire, and those whoafter reading in the
Bible (Ezekiel 16:6). could stop
bleeding .4
So when you stop making feathers I
and beads your main focus, you soon t
realize there is a lot more Indian about.
our people than first appears.
In the True Way ?? <
Derek Lowry
Greensboro. NC
Make Your Vote Count \
^ =======?>. I
?\eCt
Glenn May nor
for
Sheriff
Robeson County
"He Cares About You" j
-17 Years Executive Director of Robeson County
Housing Authority - j
-17 Years Member of Lumberton City Council
CI
?
-Member of Reedy Branch Baptist Church ?
-?
-Seven Years Law Enforcement Experience
Paid for by the Committee to Elect Glenn Maynor 1
Sheriff of Robeson County Jr
r i -
Public Hearing
Everyone in Robeson C ounty is invited to participate in a public meeting on
Monda>. March 14th from 6:00 p.m until 8:00 p.m. at the Lumberton Junior
High School on Mai ion Road Robeson Counts and its Municipalities are
, hosting the public meeting to gailiei input into the development of an application ?'
' tor federal designation as an Enterpnse Community.
Thirty rural communities across the nation will receive the Enterpnse 1
Community Designation in the fall of this year. Communities receiving this i
designation will receive special state and federal funding and other considerations ?
to reduce poverty and improve other social and economic conditions existing in
stra teg ic p'l an^w 111 be the most important component of this application and
will require the participation of all county citizens, elected leaders, community ;
groups, businesses and industries to be successful <?
If vou are interested in the tutue of Robeson County, please attend on the 14th
and bnn your friends and neighbors Everyone's help is needed. For more
information, please contact teh Lumber River Council of Governments at 910- 1
i 618-5533
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