Who Am I? Who are You? Exploring our identity

This excerpt explains that families are defined by love, caring and sharing, not the number or gender of its members.

“Connected to Everything” is a story written by Jennifer Greene and published in the Fall 2009 issue of Teaching Tolerance. This story is adapted from a traditional tale of the Bitterroot Salish, a Native American tribe in Montana.

“Every brain is a little bit different...”

“And I asked him everything that I ever wanted to ask. I asked him to tell me the real story.”

Based on a true person, this story is told from the perspective of a little girl whose dad took her to the Million Man March—where she saw the tears, happiness, and chants of men banding together for a common purpose.

“The Fort Peck Assiniboine & Sioux Tribes Reservation in Montana is home to tribes whose culture was defined by their relationship to their land and their horses. Generations of systemic oppression drained their culture of its traditional meaning, and they struggle with grief, shame, and loss. Their trauma has led to fractured families, substance abuse, and a high teen suicide rate. Charlie Four Bear gives troubled Fort Peck youth a chance to build relationships with horses, and through them, with tribal elders like himself, to reclaim their tribal family’s cultural pride.”