Mike L. Graham, founder
United Native America

I want to thank you for accepting our request to send you information on Native American issues that we strongly feel should be addressed by the Indian Affairs committee. Below is our petition calling for a national holiday for Native Americans, we have incorporated other issues into the petition that are of great concern to the Native American community as to obvious racial exclusion of Native Americans and misuse of our heritage.

At this time 04-18-02 over 22,000 people have signed United Native America on line petition, nation wide we have over 100,000 signed petitions calling on the federal government to address these issues by calling for senate hearings.

We are aware that the senate has in the past addressed a wide range of social issues concerning other ethnic groups. We expect no less in the handling of the Native American community issues before this governing body.

United Native America requests after reviewing all information sent to the senate Indian Affairs Committee that this governing body would call for senate hearings to address these issues by calling in top industry executives to include federal, state, local and appointed officials, tribal nations representatives should be included in this group.

The scope of these hearings should cover but not limited to, all television networks (Total lack of Native American presence in their programs) Movie industry (again total lack of Native American presence) National sports Industry (Non recruiting of Native Americans as players and misuse of Native American heritage).

National media industry failure to report on Native American community issues, heritage events to include (American Indian Heritage Month of November) As they do for all other ethnic groups. National music Industry failure to incorporate Native Americans as to their musical heritage and performing groups, all other ethnic groups are well represented in this Industry nationally to the public.

National Advertising companies failure to incorporate Native Americans appearing in their commercials promoting their products, this is visually present from day to day. Native Americans incarcerated by, federal, state, county, city and juvenile detentions are subject to racial attacks, slurs and inhuman treatment by staff members. They are deprived of practicing their religion by law, prolonged solitary confinement and segregation from Native American group activities within the system.

County school systems that allow racial harassment of Native American students by staff and faculty, racially biased punishment, racially forced out of schools and incarcerated over trivial infractions of school rules. This is a sad but true fact concerning Native American students in our country.

United Native America asks that the Indian Affairs committee conduct their own investigation into issues stated above. Each of these issues address the health, education and poverty of Native Americans. It is obvious to the Native American community and others that they are being racially excluded and disenfranchised as a race, It's time for our federal government to deal with these issues in a respectful manner and to state their recommendations and orders as to resolving these issues.