It wouldn't be that way if I weren't Native. As Native America builds its own cadre of experts in the field of mining, Kindness is among a new generation of Native activists. They may not know all the impacts of the mining on their health. We see a real increase in alcohol and drug use. When I go to these communities, they have all been impacted.
Some people are pro-mining, and a division is created in the community.
In the past, tribes have sought financial benefits from the mines on or near their reservations. The Laguna Acoma Pueblo of New Mexico, for example, benefited financially when they decided to have a uranium mine. This was in the 1950s, and they voted yes on the proposal because they needed jobs. That's what the mine promised them. Eventually, when the mine shut down, they were back where they started.