Matt McKeon
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In 1847, the Choctaw people heard of the Great Famine in Ireland, a disaster that cost a million lives to disease and starvation, and forced another million to flee the island.
Despite their own hardships and slender resources, they raised 170 dollars to send it to the relief of the stricken Irish. They had experienced first hand, starvation, forced emigration and the boot of an indifferent government. They saved some Irish lives, and also affirmed their common humanity, at a time when the dominant culture was ready to deny or deride it.
The Irish may be slow to forget a grudge, but they also remember kindness, and there have been contacts between the Irish government and the Choctaw Nation in the 20th and 21st centuries. Now Native Americans are being hammered by covid19, especially among their elders. The Irish people have generously donated to gofundme campaigns to give some relief to Native American communities in this difficult time, even as they fight the disease themselves.
Despite their own hardships and slender resources, they raised 170 dollars to send it to the relief of the stricken Irish. They had experienced first hand, starvation, forced emigration and the boot of an indifferent government. They saved some Irish lives, and also affirmed their common humanity, at a time when the dominant culture was ready to deny or deride it.
The Irish may be slow to forget a grudge, but they also remember kindness, and there have been contacts between the Irish government and the Choctaw Nation in the 20th and 21st centuries. Now Native Americans are being hammered by covid19, especially among their elders. The Irish people have generously donated to gofundme campaigns to give some relief to Native American communities in this difficult time, even as they fight the disease themselves.
