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LIVING LAKOTAMOLLY HALL MARTIN

// STYLE WATCHWHICH TRENDS ARE HOTTEST THIS SEASON?

// PLUS

EBONY WHITEHOW SHE WENT FROM BEING HOMELESS TO HOPEFUL

// ANDNative Appropriations bogger Adrienne K. sets the record straight on the “hipster headdress”

// DON’T MISSHealthy living tips

on turning your flab into abs

TRIBALNETWORKING

what you need to know to get

connected

JOB NUMBER

AICCORM05023

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Kimberly

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AICCORM05025_8x10.875_Kim

AD

Patty Fogerty

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Will Ulbricht

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Maura Noone

PM

Lauren Brogan

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Diane Cass

AE

Katie Allen

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Rachel Shapiro

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Gillian Laub

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W+K Studio

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Harpers Magazine

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8.25" x 11.125"

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Navajo reservation, home of diné College

learn how the tribal colleges provide quality education to native americans. 1-800-776-fund | collegefund.org

by starting their academic careers at a tribal college,

nine in ten indian students will complete their course of study.

American Indian College Fund educating the mind and spirit

CONTENTS

CONTENTSIN THIS ISSUE //

FASHION

Today’s hottest Native designers .............................6-7Guest Column: Native appropriation ..........................8Style watch ................................................................................................9

LIFESTYLE

healthy living ..................................................................................10-11tribal networking ................................................................................13

PROFILES

changing the narrative .......................................................14-15living lakota .....................................................................................16-18

SPOTLIGHT ISSUE

overcoming homelessness ........................................20-22

DECEMBER 2010 3

LETTER

© 2010 NATIVE WOMANTHIS MAGAZINE IS FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY

staff //

contributors //

mission //

maggie BRIDGFORTH

alletta COOPER

jessica MAGGART

muriel SMITH

nick YARBROUGH

adrienne K..

writer/editor

writer/photographer

writer/editor

writer

art director

blogger

NATIVE WOMAN magazine aims to shatter common misconceptions about the Native American culture, while providing entertainment, information and inspiration for an underrepresented group of women.

4 NATIVE WOMAN

LETTERFROM THE EDITORS

DECEMBER 2010 5

Welcome to Native Woman Magazine, a publication aimed at helping you maintain your culture in the chaos of everyday life.

Native Woman brings you comprehensive coverage of Native American culture. Our staff, five University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill students, spent time research-ing and studying the way Native Americans have been portrayed throughout history. We discovered this culture, rich in tradition and infused with history, has been immensely misrepresented in the media, especially women.

Our goal as a publication is to shatter these stereotypes and trudge past the shal-low coverage of massive news services to appeal to an underrepresented group — you. We’ll bring you personal stories of Ameri-can Indian women attempting to redefine what it means to be Native in today’s society. We seek to provide your community with

informative entertainment. This month, look for an inspiring piece on the strength of Ebony White who gained confidence to rise above homelessness after joining a soccer team. Or experience the joys and pressures of living a Native lifestyle in college, like Jessie Hill and Molly Hall Martin do everyday.

Amongst our articles about inspiring women, we also bring you helpful hints and ideas for everyday living. From fashion advice to recipe tips, we’ve got you covered. And don’t miss our exercise regimes each month. We understand what it means to be a woman in the whirlwind of today’s ever-changing society, so we at Native Woman Magazine hope to make each day just a bit more enjoy-able. We will continue to work hard for you to bring you up-to-date coverage on modern Native culture.

Thank you for joining Native Woman in our pursuit to tear down stereotypes and encourage Native American women to be strong, proud and beautiful.

// NW

— JESSICA MAGGART

6 NATIVE WOMAN

After years and years of hard work and long nights of sketching and sewing and sweating, Native Ameri-

cans have finally broken into the fashion world.

Their struggle to be taken seriously in their own communities as well as the main-stream fashion industry has been difficult but has resulted in a beautiful thing: Native designers who not only remain true to their cultural heritage but push the fashion enve-lope and take risks.

The real testament to how far Native fash-ion designers have come was during the 2009 New York Fashion Week held February

13-20, where three Native designers were featured. For those of you not who aren’t fashion savvy, New York Fashion Week is perhaps the most important week in global fashion world. It takes place twice a year and features lines from the top American design-ers as well as some international designers.

The Native designers from the February 2009 Fashion Week included Virgil Ortiz, Dorothy Grant and Patricia Michaels who, despite their various backgrounds and spe-cific styles, all seem to have something in common: the goal of preserving and pro-moting their native cultures through fash-ion design.

NW // fashion

TODAY’S HOTTEST NATIVE FASHION DESIGNERS

DECEMBER 2010 7

fashion // NW

DOROTHY GRANT//Grant is a Kaigani Haida of the raven clan from the

Brown Bear House of Howkan. She began sketching Haida art onto clothing in 1983 and has been doing it ever since. She takes the 10,000-year-old legends of the Haida people and puts them onto the clothing that she designs. Grant says that she was inspired by non-native designers who were incorporating North West Coast Native into clothing, which she felt was a “poor representation of a beautiful art form.” Grant’s line includes clothing, ceremonial button blankets and spruce root hats. Her first retail store, which opened in 1994 in the Sinclair Centre in Vancouver, is still open and thriving.

PATRICIA MICHAELS//Michaels is from Taos Pueblo. Her fashion inspira-

tion comes from both her heritage and from her love of nature. Michaels’ brand is called PM Waterlily, which is comprised of five lines that include her eco-friendly clothing and her ready-to-wear clothing for men and women. She has even started working with interior fabrics. "Every garment that I make, the fabric and the cut, takes you to a special place,” said Michaels. “Native people can give back to the rest of the world by sharing their stories. Some do it through pottery, painting or jewelry. Naturally in our oral history there are creation stories; I take the creative liberty to express my vision that is then worn as a garment. One can feel these stories on their skin."

VIRGIL ORTIZ//Ortiz is a potter and fashion artist from Cochiti

Pueblo, New Mexico. Now very well known, he is in demand and requested by many big Hollywood stars. Ortiz began creating pottery at age 6. He worked as a potter for some time, and still does, but found his way to fashion, eventually working for none other than fashion designer Donna Karan. Ortiz is inspired by traveling and music—two of his favorite things. He uses alternative textiles such as leather, latex and vinyl to create his edgy designs. In addition to creating fashion and pottery, Ortiz also enjoys creating opportunities for children and his community that “reflect the legacy of his ancestors” and spread knowledge of Pueblo culture throughout the world. “I have something very impor-tant to do before I go,” Ortiz said. “I want to preserve my culture and inspire our youth to accomplish whatever it is they dream to be."

8 NATIVE WOMAN

NW // fashion

I’ve written a lot about the phenom-enon that is the hipster headdress but I’ve never really broken it down as to why this trend is so annoying and effed up. I thought it was high time I pulled things together into a one-stop-anti-headdress shop. Much of this can also apply to any of the “tribal trends.”

So why can’t I wear it?Headdresses promote stereotyping of Native

cultures.The image of a warbonnet and war paint

wearing Indian is one that has been created and perpetuated by Hollywood and only bears mini-mal resemblance to traditional regalia of Plains tribes. It furthers the stereotype that Native peoples are one monolithic culture, when in fact there are 500+ distinct tribes with their own cultures. It also places Native people in the historic past, as something that cannot exist in modern society. We don’t walk around in ceremonial attire everyday, but we still exist and are still Native.

Headdresses, feathers and warbonnets have deep spiritual significance.

The wearing of feathers and warbonnets in Native communities is not a fashion choice. Warbonnets especially are reserved for respected figures of power. The other issue is that warbonnets are reserved for men in Native communities, and nearly all of these pictures show women sporting the headdresses. I can’t read it as an act of femi-nism or subverting the patriarchal society, it’s an act of utter disrespect for the origins of the practice. This is just as bad as running around in a pope hat and a bikini, or a Sikh turban cause it’s “cute.”

It’s just like wearing blackface.“Playing Indian” has a long history in the

Native appropriationExamining the “hipster headdress” and

other cultural phenomenaUnited States, all the way back to those orig-inal tea partiers in Boston, and in no way is it better than minstrel shows or dressing up in blackface. You are pretending to be a race that you are not, and are drawing upon stereotypes to do so.

But I don’t mean it in that way, I just think it’s cute!

Well hopefully I’ve illuminated that

there’s more at play here than just a “cute” fashion choice. Sorry for taking away your ignorance defense.

But I consider it honoring to Native Americans!

Having a drunken girl wearing a head-dress and a bikini dancing at an outdoor concert does not honor me.

I’m just wearing it because it’s “ironic!”

I’m all for irony. Finger mustaches, PBR, kanye glasses, old timey facial hair, fine, funny, a bit over-played, but ironic, I guess. Appropriating someone’s culture

and cavorting around town in your skinny jeans with a feathered headdress, mocca-sins, and turquoise jewelry in an attempt to be “counterculture?” Not ironic. If you’re okay with being a walking representative of 500+ years of colonialism and racism, or don’t mind perpetuating the stereotypes that we as Native people have been fight-ing against for just as long, by all means, go for it. But by embracing the current tribal trends you aren’t asserting yourself as an individual, you are situating yourself in a culture of power that continues to oppress Native peoples in the US.

Stop getting so defensive; it’s seri-ously just fashion!

Did you read anything I just wrote? It’s not “just” fashion. There is a lot more at play

Well then, Miss Cultural Appropria-tion Police, what CAN I wear?

If you choose to wear something Native, buy it from a Native. There are federal laws that protect Native artists and craftspeople who make genuine jewelry, art, etc. Any-thing you buy should have a label that says “Indian made” or “Native made.” It’s ok to have on some beaded earrings or a turquoise ring, but don’t march down the street wear-ing a feather, with loaded on jewelry, and a ribbon shirt. Ask yourself: if you ran into a Native person, would you feel embarrassed or feel the need to justify yourself?

I should also note that I have absolutely nothing against hipsters. In fact, some would argue I have hipster-leaning tendencies. I’m also not trying to stereotype and say that all hipsters thinks it’s cool to wear a headdress. So, I don’t hate hipsters, I hate ignorance and cultural appropriation. There is a difference. Just thought I should clear that up.

GUEST COLUMN //

— ADRIENNE K.

For more posts like this, visit Adrienne’s blog at http://nativeappropriations.blogspot.com/

— NICK YARBROUGH

DECEMBER 2010 9

fashion // NW

style WATCHNative trends are popping up on runways from New York to Milan. Whether it’s flam-

boyant featherwork, creative uses of Native patterns or garments dripping with fringe, non-Native designers are increasingly recyling and reinterpreting traditional modes of dress. But when do the trends get lost in translation and become offensive? Let us know what you think!

RALPH LAUREN

ROBERTO CAVALLI

L.A.M.B.MARK FAST

ANNA SUI

10 NATIVE WOMAN

NW // lifestyle

HEALTHY LIVINGtips for living a better life

EXERCISE TIP OF THE MONTH: absHaving a strong core is important for any active woman. Not only does it make you feel great (adding a little tone and shape to your stomach), it improves the quality of your cardio workouts, whether you’re a runner, or a swimmer, or even a biker. Your core is important, so don’t neglect it during your workout routine. Here is a fool-proof core workout that is sure to strengthen and tone your entire core—abs and all!

SIDE PLANKS:Begin by laying on your side on the floor.Position your elbow on the floor just under your shoulder.Lift up on that elbow and keep your body stiff from head to toe.Hold this position for 30 seconds, working your way up to 60 seconds.

V SIT-UPS:Begin in a seated position, contract your abdominal muscles and core, and lift your legs up to a 45-degree angle.Reach your arms forward or reach up toward your shins as you are able.Hold this “V” position for several seconds to begin. As you get stronger, hold the position longer.Return to your starting position slowly.Repeat this entire movement several times.

OBLIQUE TWISTS:Sit on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.Contract your abs and sit at about a 45 degrees angle.Hold a medicine with both hands directly in front of youContracting your abs, twist slowly from your torso to your right and touch the medicine ball to the floor beside you, and then twist your torso to your left.Repeat 30 reps on each side.

— JESSICA MAGGART

DECEMBER 2010 11

lifestyle // NW

SUPERMAN:Lie face down on a mat with your arms stretched above your head (like superman)Raise your right arm and left leg about 5-6 inches off the ground (or as far as you comfortably can).Hold for 30 seconds and relax.Repeat with the opposite arm and leg.

Everyone loves pasta salad, but the classic recipes are filled with mayonnaise, ranch dressing and salt. Our new and improved pasta salad is high in protein and fiber and full of vegetables that are sure to please.INGREDIENTS:12 ounces whole wheat pasta (noodle of your choice)salt and ground black pepper3 ½ cups small broccoli florets¼ cup flax oil¼ cup balsamic vinegar2 tablespoons lemon juice1 tablespoon Dijon mustard1 tablespoon honey1 clove garlic, minced2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved½ cup pitted kalamata olives, chopped½ cup torn fresh basil leaves⅓ cup fresh parsley1 small head radicchio, cored and shredded (about 3 cups)DIRECTIONS:Bring 4 quarts water to boil in a large pot, add pasta and salt, and cook until pasta is al dente. Add broccoli and continue to cook until the pasta is tender. Drain and set aside.Meanwhile, whisk oil, vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, honey and garlic in a large bowl; add ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.Add drained pasta and broccoli and stir to coat with dressing. Let cool. Mix in tomatoes, olives, basil, parsley and radicchio; stir to combine.

PLANKS:Begin in the plank position with your forearms and toes on the floor.Keep your torso straight and rigid and your body in a straight line from ears to toes with no sagging or bending.Your head is relaxed and you should be looking at the floor.Hold this position for 30 seconds, working your way up to 60 seconds.

HEALTHY

RECIPE O F T H E M O N T H :

New and improved pasta salad

DECEMBER 2010 13

lifestyle // NW

ndn.me is a new social networking website just for Natives! It’s a little like facebook, but tribal. It’s a place for American Indians to connect with community, tribes and each other. In fact, you can connect right through your facebook page!

TRIBAL NETWORKING

FEATURES:» Profile page with info sections a lot like facebook.» Upload photo albums and share them with your friends.» Write on your wall or comment on other peo-ple’s walls.» There’s a whole section just for Native news!» Individual tribes have pages to connect and promote the tribal community!» Native businesses are also welcome.» An event section to keep up to date on what’s happening in your area.

HOME PAGE

SAMPLE PROFILE

SAMPLE TRIBAL PAGE

— ALLETTA COOPER

14 NATIVE WOMAN

NW // profiles

CHANGING THE NARRATIVE

Choose one:WhiteBlack or African AmericanAmerican Indian and Alaska NativeAsianNative Hawaiian and other Pacific IslanderOther

// BY ALLETTA COOPER

DECEMBER 2010 15

Jessie Bardill has been told more than once that she is not an American Indian.

She has long red hair, pale skin and green eyes. But even though she looks Irish, she is Native. She’s part Cherokee.

“In college, and even grad school, diversity is seen as black and white,” she said “And I’m in a category that isn’t that.”

Bardill is a sixth year English literature doctoral student at Duke University. She has dedicated her academic career to the issue of blood quantum and Native identity.

Blood quantum is the amount of Native blood that runs through a persons veins, genetically speaking. A measurement of blood quantum is often times required to become a card-carrying member of a tribe.

She refuses to become an enrolled tribal member even though much of her life revolves around her Native heritage.

Growing up Bardill has always checked the ”other” box under the race category on paperwork. She is Irish. And Native. And English. And a multitude of other things.

“To neglect either my white or Native ancestors is rude,” she said. “It is inappropriate. I refuse to do it.”

Adair Marie Hill is a 25-year-old Lumbee woman. She and Bardill attended Duke together and were both involved with the Native American Student Alliance.

Hill looks more traditionally Native. She has dark hair and dark skin. But people are still surprised when she identifies as an American Indian.

“I have had many, many non-natives make assumptions about me,” she said. “I often get the feel-ing that non-natives expect me to be wearing feathers and beads or something and are disappointed that I’m not.”

Bardill is a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow. It is fellowship for people from minority backgrounds.

She was publicly accosted by several of her fellow recipients. She was told that she was not a minority and that she did not deserve to be there. She was taking the place of someone who really deserved it, they told her. All because she doesn’t look Native.

“Looks trump everything,” she said. “If you look it, but you didn’t grow up on the rez, don’t speak the language, you are still more accepted.”

Identifying people on appearance alone is problem-atic, she said. It is not possible to know a person by the way he or she looks.

Hill has experienced racism as well. A graduate level

race studies class was the scene of a particularly bad incident. She brought in a film called “Skins.” It takes place on a modern day reservation.

“People in the class were literally shocked to see Natives as doctors and police officers and wearing jeans and T-shirts instead of buckskins in the movie,” she said. “One student then admitted that she hadn’t really considered me ‘Native American’ because I was in col-lege and dressed in a modern way.”

This appearance-based prejudice is not exclusive to Native women. It is something that most people deal with at some point their lives. But both Bardill and Hill point out that Native is the only race defined by law.

“A lot of non-natives feel for some reason that it is appropriate and acceptable to ask me what percent-age Native American I am,” Hill said. “That’s always

bothered me because no one asks black people what percentage Afri-can American they are, or white people what percentage European American they are.”

Bardill’s work centers on that issue. She uses a combination of literature and science to redefine the definition of what it means to be an American Indian.

“The problem is the narrative we’re using,” she said. “And when we can change that story we can change all of this.”

Hill is fighting the prejudice in another way. She started a blog called The Adair Review. It is billed as “All things Native, cultural criti-cism, politics, a splash of random thoughts, and a healthy dose of snark.”

It acts as a hub for Native issues. She covers everything from crime to fashion. She is one among a slue of young, Native women blogging their frustrations. She said the blog

started as a forum and has morphed into an informa-tional resource for Natives and non-Natives alike.

“I’ve found that the general public doesn’t really have the basic knowledge or vocabulary to really talk about Native issues,” she said. “So the blog has sort of become more of an information source than a dialogue. I try to bring Native issues to a wider audience, and give some background on each item.”

Bardill and Hill both spread the message that Native isn’t primitive. Native women and men are doctors, lawyers and teachers. Appearance is only a small part of a person’s identity.

“I inhabit who I am on a daily basis,” Bardill said. “I constantly inhabit my physical presence. I like to consider myself a strong woman, a strong Native. But how does one really pick apart their identity to evaluate how each play into their lives? You just can’t.”

profiles // NW

16 NATIVE WOMAN

LIVING LAKOTA FROM SPEARFISH TO CHAPEL HILL

NW // profiles

DECEMBER 2010 17

LIVING LAKOTA FROM SPEARFISH TO CHAPEL HILL

profiles // NW

// BY MURIEL SMITH

18

Molly Hall Martin is a unique woman. She traveled from Spearfish, S.D., to attend UNC-Chapel Hill in August of 2007. Molly is a member of the Lakota Lower Brule Sioux Native Ameri-can tribe.

In our interview, Molly thought through life as a Native American in South Dakota and as a student at UNC-CH.

In Spearfish, Molly explained the general image toward Native American people was negative. “People thought they were alcoholics who mooched off the government,” she explained. Molly was surrounded by non-Native Americans.

Molly was adopted into a 99 percent white community and saw only three or four other Native Americans in her high school. Even so, her adoptive parents made a marked effort to expose Molly to her culture as much as possible.

Growing up, Molly remembers attending the Native American celebration called a “Pow Wow” for as long as she can recall. “I loved it,” Hall Martin said. “The same Christians feel when they go to church, that is when I feel closest to the Creator. It is very spiritual.”

The only part of Pow Wow that Molly did not partici-pate in was the dance. She explained that she was not able to take part in this because growing up she did not have someone close by to teach her the dances.

As Molly continued down a path toward discovering her Native American culture, she began to better under-stand herself.

When Molly was accepted to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, she was thrilled. She knew she was looking to find a community more diverse than her hometown of Spearfish, S.D. However, Molly also recalls having to adjust to this diversity. “I went into culture shock,” she recalled.

Though her Native American culture has become a very important part of her identity, Molly did not immediately

get involved with the Native American groups on UNC-CH’s campus. She began her career at UNC-CH looking to apply to the Clinical Lab Science program before switching her major to Native American Studies.

As Molly settled into life at UNC-CH, she immersed herself in UNC-CH’s Native American community. Molly now serves as the Native American Programs Coordinator for the Minority Student Recruitment Committee. She is also very involved with the Carolina Indian Circle. During her junior year, Molly pledged Alpha Pi Omega, a Native American sorority; the following year she joined Unheard Voices, a Native American a cappella group.

Molly says that she loves how close knit the Native American community at UNC-CH is. She has found that, in many ways, they have become each other’s support and home away from home. This is very meaningful because most of the people in the Native American community at UNC-CH come from small, close-knit communities, so this sort of kinship bond is cherished.

Molly has continued to grow in her understanding of her culture and its importance in her life; she has been inspired to dedicate her time to working toward the bet-terment of Native American people. “I would like to see a more realistic modern portrayal of what we do and who we are in the media,” she said.

The same Christians feel

when they go to church, that is

when I feel closest to the Creator

NW // profiles

20 NATIVE WOMAN

OVERCOMING HOMELESSNESS ONE KICK AT A TIME

A STORY OF SOCCER FREEING MEN AND WOMEN FROM LIVES OF POVERTY IN NORTH CAROLINA

NW // spotlight issue

DECEMBER 2010 21

Roughly 450 home-less people visit a local homeless shelter in Charlotte, N.C. each day. During a visit to the Urban Ministry Center, they may run into Ebony Wright, a 22-year-old Native American recovering from a lifetime of living on the streets. But the young woman they meet now is far different the drifter who used to haunt the streets of downtown.

"Before, I was just sitting around like f--- it," Wright says. "Pardon my language, but I just didn't care. But I finally got sick and tired of being sick and tired, so I did some-thing about it."

Wright joined the Street Soccer 945 team in Charlotte (named for Urban Ministry's address at 945 N. College St.) a little more than two years ago. She heard about the team and wanted to lose weight, perhaps go on one of the trips to the Street Soccer USA Cup in Washington, D.C. She was home-less, had no job and had a self-professed bad attitude.

Growing up in Durham, N.C., Wright had never played soccer. "I sucked when I started," Wright says. "I wanted to give up but [our] coach was like, 'No, come on, stay with it, you'll get the hang of it.' So I stayed, kept getting a little frustrated, but kept trying. And look at me now."

Fighting homelessnessAccording to the National Alliance to End

Homelessness, researchers in 2008 esti-mated that as many as 3.5 million people experience homelessness in a given year (1 percent of the entire U.S. population or 10

percent of its poor). That total likely has increased in the wake of the recent eco-nomic crisis. Currently, close to 900,000 people are estimated to be homeless at any given moment.

When Lawrence Cann began working at Charlotte's Urban Ministry after graduating from nearby Davidson College in 2000, he'd read about the annual Homeless World Cup. Cann played collegiate soccer at Davidson and thought that the Cup program's goal to support social change through sport matched what the center was trying to achieve.

"If people are forming cliques on the street for protection and secrecy, it's great to bring them together for something posi-tive instead," Cann says.

When Lawrence Cann was a young boy, his family's house burned to the ground. Luckily, the Canns had a support system of friends and family to help them through tough times, but the experience made an impression on the 9-year-old. Cann realized how easily a turn of events can land young people on the streets.

As an adult, Cann founded Street Soccer USA, using his favorite sport to help home-less of all ages rebuild their lives. The orga-nization provides a network of friends to provide emotional support while helping teens and adults set tangible goals to find employment and housing.

"It's literally walking up into the bunk rooms in shelters in New York City or the kitchen in Charlotte and saying, 'We've got practice, try it out,'" Cann says. "They'll say,

'Soccer? What the heck is that about?' and you ask them to trust you. Not everyone wants to try. But we are social beings, and it's rare that these folks have a chance to plug into something. As a result, they often want to be a part."

Homelessness can foster feelings of isola-tion and defensiveness, which the programs are designed to combat. Each player sets three-, six- and 12-month goals for himself that he establishes with his coach, an ini-tiative that mirrors a social worker-client atmosphere, but without the pressures of a formal setting or official titles. Some players hope to obtain housing or a copy of their birth certificate; others want to work toward their General Educational Develop-ment. Many wish to stop dealing or abus-ing drugs and alcohol. If they break a rule or don't work toward their goals, they're benched. At a recent practice, one Char-lotte team member wasn't allowed to play because she'd punched a teammate earlier in the week.

Wright, who turned 22 this month, was the only female and Native American chosen for the 2009 World Cup team, which traveled to Milan in September 2009. The roster was composed of players selected from homeless squads around the country based on their skills and merit. The U.S. finished 19th out of 48 teams (Ukraine won the tournament), a vast improvement over the first year when it finished last. Wright is now working as a custodian in a church in Charlotte and will soon have housing. Her next goal is to obtain her GED and work

spotlight issue // NW

// BY MAGGIE BRIDGFORTH

22 NATIVE WOMAN

with computers and perhaps earn a com-puter technology degree.

spreading the missionInspired by the transformation in the play-

ers on the team in Charlotte, Lane Baldwin, who volunteered throughout high school with the Urban Ministry soccer team, made it her mission to use soccer as a catalyst for change in Chapel Hill, N.C. As a bright-eyed freshman, Baldwin arrived at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill eager to be involved in the local community.

Now a senior at UNC-CH, she was struck by the pervasiveness of homelessness in the area and immediately partnered with the Campus Y, a student organization commit-ted to social activism. She was able to begin Street Soccer through the Homeless Out-reach Poverty Eradication program within the Campus Y, which works closely with the local homeless shelter in town. Because of this, Baldwin is able to connect the student community with the Chapel Hill community to work against homelessness in the area.

“HOPE Soccer engages members of the homeless community to help break down barriers between students and community members, while fostering community within the framework of a soccer team dynamic,” Baldwin says. “The support network created by the team helps players to overcome the challenges they face on the field and in life, building self-confidence, self-respect and camaraderie. Ultimately, it allows them to move past their old habits and gives them the confidence to create a new life.”

The soccer program established through the Campus Y is closely modeled after the Street Soccer program in hopes that eventu-ally the team will be officially recognized as part of the organization.

Michael, a recovering alcoholic and drug addict, moved to Chapel Hill more than a decade ago and has served several stints in jail. He now steers clear of alcohol and drugs. Cheerful-hearted and often found laughing, he is always dressed to impress in worn-out khakis and old collared shirts.

However, Michael says the biggest change in his life thus far has been soccer; specifi-cally, the homeless Street Soccer USA pro-gram started at the local shelter, the Inter-Faith Council, in 2008 by Baldwin.

"The soccer kept me from going back to prison," Michael says. "If I didn't have [that], I'd be in prison for my natural life. Or dead. My chil-dren wouldn't be born. Because before I started soccer, I was running people over with cars, shooting people in the leg. I did not, I repeat, I did not care. Soccer changed all of that."

Changing livesWhat began five years ago in Charlotte as

a team of 14 players has grown to more than 18 teams in 16 cities nationwide. Cann soon will travel to more U.S. cities to work with volunteers and shelter staff on new teams. There are no age limits on the squads, but the general concentration is between the ages of 20 and 30. A typical program will have 30 to 50 team members a year.

Street soccer competition differs from traditional soccer in that the field is much smaller, resembling the size of a tennis court. In official street soccer games, a team typi-cally fields a goalie and three other players. However, when the teams compete in local competitions, they'll either field a full soccer roster of 11 or play seven-on-seven matches.

SSUSA is principally sponsored and funded by Ted Leonsis and the Leonsis Foundation in addition to the donations from sponsors and volunteers. (Leonsis is a longtime AOL executive and owner of the National Hockey League's Washington Capitals.) Help USA is the national home-less service provider that has enabled Street Soccer USA to expand by incubating the program. The U.S. Soccer Foundation also helped SSUSA build its field and helped host the first two national cups.

Tim Cummins was one of SSUSA's first goalies. He moved to Charlotte from Indiana as a drug addict, living on park benches. He was in and out of rehab centers for the better part of six years before finally committing to quit. Oct. 17 marked his

three-year anniversary of being clean.Cummins, who turned to drugs during

college, lettered in seven sports as a high school athlete, but says soccer always has been his favorite. One afternoon last year, he had a scheduled Narcotics Anonymous meeting at Urban Ministry and saw a few guys playing soccer on the center’s make-shift field. He began kicking around with them and missed his meeting. Now 41, Cummins lives with his girlfriend and her three children, all of whom he encourages to play sports. "I'm hoping sports keeps them off the streets," Cummins says.

He traveled to Melbourne, Australia, as part of the U.S. Homeless World Cup team in 2008. "That was when I first learned that everybody is not homeless because of the same situation," Cummins says. "I met a homeless girl from the Philippines who was 16 years old. She'd worked in a sweatshop since she was 8, seven days a week from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. That trip changed my whole perspective."

Cummins says this season may be his last as a player. He met with Cann and several U.S. representatives at the USA Cup this past summer to discuss the possibility of using SSUSA's grant funding to attend ref-eree school. He hopes to referee at the 2011 Homeless World Cup in Paris.

making a diFFerenCeIt's clear that SSUSA is making progress: 210

people who have been Street Soccer USA team members are now in housing. The organization is implementing more formal monitoring and evaluations in partnership with some universi-ties so it can isolate the direct effects athletics and its program model have on housing.

"Our numbers are higher when you look at a significant life change," Cann says. "This includes other steps forward other than hous-ing: drug treatment, mental heath treatment, enrolling in classes, maintaining at least part-time work for more than 3 months. We will continue to fight against poverty through soccer and continue to measure its success in doing so.”

I finally got sick and tired of being sick and tired, so I did something about it.

NW // spotlight issue

DECEMBER 2010 23