Noise for NOW x Seeding Sovereignty Mask Campaign
According to the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) “The percentage of American Indian and Alaska Natives living in poverty in 2017 was estimated to be 26.8%. This compares to 4.6% for the nation as a whole.”1 Many of whom live on reservations with limited access to resources including food, running hot water, and healthcare. Currently in 2020, these numbers have not changed much.
The COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic has highlighted long-standing structural and systemic inequities in our country and exacerbates the already precarious situation for Indigenous communities. The NCAI also reported “When compared to all other U.S. races, American Indians and Alaska Natives have a lower life expectancy by 5.5 years. This includes higher rates of death from chronic illness, including diabetes, chronic liver disease, cirrhosis, mellitus, and suicide.”2
Meanwhile, politicians throughout the country have used the pandemic as an excuse to impose state-level restrictions on abortion access and force temporary health center closures. As a result, it has made it even more difficult for many to access necessary and legal health care. This disproportionately impacts people with low incomes, people of color, and those living in remote and extremely rural communities.
With the purchase of every Noise for NOW X Seeding Sovereignty mask or bandanna, one mask will be donated to the Impact Community Care Initiative for distribution to the pueblos and reservations most impacted at this time. Cash donations will also be made to Seeding Sovereignty and to abortion funds serving Indigenous and undocumented people: Indigenous Women Rising and Mariposa Fund.
Masks and bandanas ethically and sustainably made by Suay Sew Shop. Link to purchase: noisefornow.org/shop
The following resources were provided by National Congress of American Indians:
- S. Census Bureau; (2017). Table B17001C and B17001: Poverty Status in the Past 12 Months by Sex by Age, 2013-2017 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates.
- Indian Health Service. (2019, October). Disparities. Retrieved from https://www.ihs.gov/newsroom/factsheets/disparities/
