support our organization
The Heartland Project Inc. envisions a revitalization of human connection through sharing the exploration of unity and oneness as truth inherent in creation.
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Our 501c3 has organized successful pilgrimages since 2012. We are deeply touched by stories of the various Native American removals during the 1800s and the more recent Freedom Riders Movement from the Civil Rights Era during the 1950s and 1960s. It is notable to us that so much happened to those groups within a relatively concentrated area of our country. We are also aware of the generational grief and trauma still suffered by the descendants of those histories. Whether or not we are direct descendants of the European colonizers who perpetrated the suffering, the knowledge of such a profound traumatic history rightly also caused generational guilt and trauma.
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All contributions to The Heartland Project Inc., a tax exempt organization under section 501c (3) of the Internal Revenue Code, are deductible for computing estate and income taxes.
ways you can donate
In
Person
To schedule a time to meet in person, please contact Jill English at
ONLINE
You can donate online through PayPal.
BY MAIL
If you'd like to donate by mail, please send a check payable to:
The Heartland Project inc,
Jill English
7961 Stuart Street
Westminster, CO 80030
endorsements
On the evening of September 23, 2013, I had the wonderful opportunity to meet Jill English and the folks from Beads on One String Foundation. I was unable to meet up with them during the day due to my job obligations but met them in Duck Town, Tennessee.
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As a Native American, we typically are bombarded with ignorant comments that are not meant to be offensive but come off that way due to the lack of education of others. So I was quiet apprehensive about this event, not knowing what to be prepared for. This is a prime example of how fear can cloud a good thing. This event has taught me to be more open-minded and to stop being judgmental of things that I know little to nothing about. Because of the beautiful peaceful energy of Jill and the group, I quickly became completely at ease and relaxed.
On September 24, we suggested that the group visit Nancy Ward’s grave. Nancy Ward was the last Beloved Woman for the Cherokee Nation before the Indian Removal of 1838. She was instrumental in keeping peace between the Cherokees and the Settlers by alerting the Settlers when an attack was planned, preventing raids from both sides. The group seemed genuinely interested, so we drove there and had lunch at the site. I had never been there, so we made some wrong turns that burned some valuable time.
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Jill rode with Lianna and me to the gravesite. We had a delightful trip just getting to know each other, learning common grounds and sharing knowledge. We also talked about continuing our friendship and made plans for future pilgrimages. Lianna is from the Cherokee Nation and has many cultural contacts from the three Cherokee Nations, which can be utilized for future events.
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While at the gravesite, I had the opportunity to speak one-on-one with a lady that seemed to be a little "different" from the rest of the group. She was very inquisitive and outspoken, which can cause some misunderstandings. Upon finding out that she is from one of the northern states, I understood her approach. My many years of food service and having worked with people from other areas gave me the opportunity to work with people from the north. It has been my experience that people from the northern states are direct and, to a southern girl, almost offensive. It took some time for me to understand that their approach is not a sign of disrespect; it’s the culture of the northern states. She was delightful in her own way, as she tried so hard to understand our culture.
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In closing, I want to thank Jill for her outreach to the Cherokee Healing and Wellness Coalition. She and her associates can only make positive ripples out in our world. Thank you for including me in your web of life.
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Carol B. Long
Cherokee Healing and Wellness Coalition-Vice Chair
As a person who is both Cherokee and White (Italian), the pilgrimage along the Trail of Tears and the sites sacred to the Civil Rights Movement was extremely inspirational and transformative. I live a life of privilege most of the time because of the way I look. Being White and Cherokee has meant for me experiencing privilege and historical grief and trauma. This division between the two cultures left visible marks. I am only now beginning to understand what that means, how it came to be, and how I might heal from it.
I believe that these Journeys, these sacred Pilgrimages, shared with both those who have been hurt and those who have done the hurting, and/or their ancestors, are very significant with regard to that healing, for myself and for others.
I suspect that most cultures have something they should be apologizing for, and that most are due an apology from someone else. For example, Cherokees were horribly wronged by Whites, yet some of us also owned Black slaves. We have some apologizing to do too. But from the time we are little it seems that acknowledging that you've done something wrong and apologizing for it, let alone taking your lumps and making amends, is a very difficult thing for the ego to take. Yet most of our religions and spiritual traditions tell us we need to do this. So this is a very spiritual exercise, to seek forgiveness, to be forgiving, and to work towards reconciliation.
On the Trail, I heard one Cherokee woman tearfully say to a White man who had apologized to us for the crimes of his ancestors (whom he knew to have been actual soldiers on the Trail): "No one has ever apologized to me before." An apology, when it is sincere rather than trite, can mean a lot and make all the difference. The opportunity to make an apology, or receive one, and to ask for forgiveness, to give it and to receive it, may be one of the ways in which we can begin to turn the tide of racism, fear, and hate. To embrace the "other" and attempt to genuinely heal the festering wounds of hate that are generations old in order to move beyond them in a better way with trust that has actually been earned among equals rather than demanded by one's "betters." And to simply begin, if you are not ready for forgiveness, by sharing space with and hearing the stories of the "other," can be the first step on this Journey.
I was told by an Elder I respect that I do not have the right to forgive those who harmed my ancestors (who are not faceless entities of the past but who are all remembered by name in my family back to the 1600s). But I can choose to forgive them for the pain their deeds resulted in for me, and I can choose to move forward. I will never forget nor let it happen again. But I choose to embrace forgiveness and work hard toward reconciliation and trust and a better future with my fellow human beings. It will be hard, painful, awkward, maybe embarrassing at times, but I am going to step outside my comfort zone and try to be brave and pray that I honor my ancestors in doing so. I embrace the idea shared by Don Coyhis that "I will cry now so my children will not have to".
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Lianna Costantino
Cherokee Healing and Wellness Coalition
To Whom it May Concern,
I have dedicated my life to pursue non-violent passive resistance tactics to promote and facilitate change. I am at peace with the Creator, and in time I will find peace in this world. The time for healing is now. I endorse The Heartland Project because this group of dedicated professionals will change the world and I will help them. As a Freedom Rider and a Civil Rights Activist I have seen and I have experienced violence at a level most people will never know.
There is a Balm in Gilead, there is a Balm in America, and there is a Balm in this old world. We can heal this sin sick world.
We can no longer allow others to define who we are. We can no longer allow CNN and other media outlets to define “Black Lives Matter," immigration, and pay equality. We must articulate who we are and what our vision is. The Heartland Project Inc. will lead the way. Please come join us.
Charles Person
