My Nonprofit Reviews

The Waccamaw Indian People is a tribe located in the northeastern portion of South Carolina, the first recognized tribe by the state in 2005, through the SC Commission of Minority Affairs. It is strange to think that a Senator once told me he was the reason I could call myself an Indian, as if it were something bestowed upon us.
One of the greatest barriers to equity for state recognized tribes in South Carolina has been the lack of capacity, the ability to have a voice in the decision-making process concerning the many issues that impact Native Americans. The Chief has been fighting for equality for our people his entire life. WBTW-Waccamaw Indian Chief Strives for Equality. But equality never existed for indigenous people from the beginning. Through exploitation and dispossession of land it created a lack of access to spaces that keep communities together, it nearly dismantled what is culturally meaningful. It birthed inequity. Equity recognizes that we don’t all start from the same place and that imbalances exist creating hardship; keeping groups of people away from the table and from the resources that are essential to thrive. This is true today for nearly all BIPOC communities, and Anthropocene Alliance is helping to bring balance to an otherwise imbalanced structure.
As the Vice Chief of my tribe, and the Chairperson for SC Idle No More, I have been active on Environmental Justice issues for over a decade, advocating to address the harm created from unequal treatment and environmental injustice, and working to find solutions. In the short time that the Waccamaw tribe has been a member of Anthropocene Alliance, we have made great strides in developing a cultural and environmental resiliency plan; a plan that will help to protect the 20 acres that is our remaining tribal land using nature-based solutions. As development overtakes the area, and the ecosystem is continuing to be threatened by the impacts of climate change, we hope to make a difference through providing a space that will connect young people to nature and by protecting what remains. As the original stewards of the land, we recognize the importance of stepping up in that role.
The support from Anthropocene Alliance has already proven to be instrumental for capacity building. Understanding that there is a need for partnerships to accomplish our goals, we immediately received a grant for Community Engagement. Our first event, earlier this month, brought tribal members, stakeholders, and partners together to strategize and begin to lay out the plan for our vision. The vision has been with us a long time, but through the support from Anthropocene Alliance we are finally at a place where it can be achieved.