This book, Yellow Dirt: An American Story of a Poisoned Land and a People Betrayed, gives a fascinating account of the US government’s involvement in poisoning the land and the people who lived upon that land (Navajo Indian tribes), throughout the 1940’s, 50’s, 60’s and into the 70’s.
Because of the very inexpensive and cheap labor that could be provided by the Navajo Indian tribes, and the fact that uranium was discovered on the Indian reservations, the government exploited these poor people to such extent, that for decades, they lived unbeknownst to themselves of the fact that the land, water, air were all poisoned from the uranium and uranium byproducts. The long-term effects where the fact that cancer rates and tumors shot up off the charts, and many birth defects occurred to produce children with crooked fingers, that soon fused into clawlike appendages that were totally useless.
All of this in pursuit of the almighty dollar, and the fact that the US government was involved with the Manhattan project and also the Cold War.
There was a big need for these minerals to produce the nuclear armaments that America used to arm itself.
This is another sad chapter in US history, that many of us do not know about, and of course the US government is loath to talk about. Thanks, finally to Congressman and lawyers, the US government was finally forced to admit its wrongs, and to pay reparations to the Navajo people.
Initially, when finally forced to face the facts, the US government stated that the “mess” was “too expensive” to clean up, and better left alone.
Not a lot of people really understand the extent of the exploitation the US government inflicted upon the Native American tribes from the very beginning of this country, but this one, “takes the cake”. The Navajo tribes are still dealing with the latter generations of children born with birth defects, and so many of the older people, succumbing to cancers and tumors at an early age.
If you like this kind of explorative journalism, this would be a great book for you.
James Donaldson is a Washington State University graduate (’79). After an outstanding basketball career with WSU, he went on to play professional basketball in the NBA with the Seattle Supersonics, San Diego/L.A. Clippers, Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, and Utah Jazz. He also played for several teams in the European Leagues in Spain, Italy, and Greece, and he toured with The Harlem Globetrotters to wrap up his career. James was an NBA All-Star in 1988 while playing center for the Dallas Mavericks. In 2006, James was inducted into the Pac-10 Sports Hall of Fame and also the Washington State University Athletic Hall of Fame. In 2010, James was elected as a board member for the NBA Retired Players Association.
James frequently conducts speaking engagements (motivational, inspirational, educational) for organizations, schools, and youth groups.
In 2010, James was the recipient of the NBA Legends of Basketball ABC Award, awarded for outstanding contributions in Athletics–Business–Community.
He believes in being a role model for success and professionalism to the scores of young people to whom he devotes so much of his time. He currently serves on several boards and committees and is a member of many organizations.
James believes in developing relationships that create a “Win-Win” environment for everyone involved, and in being the best he can be!
For more information about James Donaldson or to request he speak at your event, contact him at:
www.StandingAboveTheCrowd.com
JamesD@StandingAboveTheCrowd.com
1-800-745-3161 (voicemail & fax)
James Donaldson is the author of “Standing Above The Crowd” and “Celebrating Your Gift of Life” and founder of the Your Gift of Life Foundation which focuses on mental health awareness and suicide prevention, especially pertaining to our school aged children and men.
If you’re interested in having James come and speak to your group of young adults, business entrepreneurs, aspiring political and community leaders, and athletic teams, please contact him at jamesd@yourgiftoflife.org and or leave a personal message for him at 1-800-745-3161. Keep up with him and read about how he is reaching out and making a difference in the lives of so many around the world at www.yourgiftoflife.org
