August 12th’s “Indigenous Bridges” event in Nashville was deeply moving. Sponsored by Indigenous Messengers, Fire Keepers International, the Nashville Jewish community and StandWithUs, members of the Nashville Jewish and Native American communities were brought together to honor each other, learn about each other, share stories, songs, gifts, wisdom, food, and create real and lasting bonds of friendship and solidarity.
This comes at a poignant time for both the Jewish and Native American people. Both communities experienced an intense and painful few months: Jews, with the sharp rise in violent antisemitic hate crimes, fueled by increasingly popular blood libels, and Native Americans with the recovery of their children’s remains on residential school grounds. And all this against the background of our communities being ravaged by COVID-19. These last 4 months have left us all feeling hurt, re-traumatized, unseen, misunderstood, and alone. It’s time we show up for one another. And we are.
This is just the beginning of what we hope and believe to be a long, devoted, and supportive friendship between local and diaspora Indigenous people of this region. Together, we can build a better future for us all.
To learn more about the event: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=4183776435072582&id=1425426577574262
