Dione Surdez

Major and Classification

English, Creative Writing

Faculty Mentor

  • Joan Weibel-Orlando, Ph.D.

Department

  • Anthropology

McNair Project

So Long As the Grass Shall Grow: How Indians Are Winning the Argument Against the Federal Government

It is the contention of President George W. Bush that the [2005] Reauthorization of the [1974] Indian Health Care Improvement Act is not necessary. The Native American Indian response to this contention is that the Reauthorization is necessary and should not be in question. A non-reauthorization of this Act suggests that Native American Indian populations will suffer from the lack of health care that is available, affordable and culturally sensitive to their needs. Specific local response to this federal concern is addressed through ethnographic research conducted at United American Indian Involvement, Inc. in Los Angeles, California. Research reveals that Native Americans are successfully and continually winning this argument against the Federal Government. This addresses the means by which this argument is being won.