We Cannot Forget Native Americans During These Troubled Times
By: Scott Pansky
The number of deaths and those impacted by COVID-19 rises every day. Our media, whether online or off, gives us staggering statistics, political posturing and counsel on personal hygiene and social distancing. They report on celebrities and sports figures who have gotten the virus, and offer stories of hope – kids helping seniors, restaurants serving meals to first responders and donations of products and services.
Yet, they ignore or forget numerous audiences, including Native Americans. Allison+Partners works with numerous nonprofit organizations of different sizes that impact millions of people around the globe. And, we also represent smaller organizations that serve niche audiences, including Partnership with Native Americans (PWNA), whom we have represented for more than six years.
PWNA provides goods and services to its Native American partners to support programs in and meet needs of tribal communities. These partners identify what kinds of distributions and services would best make an impact on community members. PWNA supports its self-determined goals by delivering supplies to help address basic day-to-day needs for immediate relief and offering support for capacity building, like nutrition and leadership training or emergency preparedness planning.
Now, more than ever, there is a shortage of healthy food, safe drinking water, healthcare and retail services to sustain these remote reservation communities. The Elders now find the shelves empty of their most basic supplies. With the lack of pubic transportation and access to full-service grocery stores, PWNA serves as a first responder and essential link in the Native American community’s supply chain.
My family and I had the chance to spend a day on the Navajo Reservation a few years ago. There, we packaged supplies, such as water, blankets and food, and then we hand-delivered these and a hot meal to the Elders who could not make it down to the PWNA-supported community center. We saw up-close, these grateful and wonderful people who were so appreciative of our help and a conversation. Our family was changed by this experience, and we understand how others can stand up to make a difference today.
The media is not covering the Native American story! The reservations need basic supplies, including food, water, baby formula, toilet paper, sanitizer and other essentials, to get through the COVID-19 pandemic. I encourage you to learn more about PWNA and the issues Native Americans face today. Don’t ever forget!
If you’re a nonprofit in need of advice on how to navigate these challenging times, get in touch at scottp@allisonpr.com or sign up for our weekly COVID-19 updates.
Scott Pansky is a co-founder of the agency and leads Allison+Partners’ Social Impact group. Scott has extensive experience providing communications and crisis counsel to nonprofit organizations and developing board + ambassador training programs.
