Near the end of his talk, Professor Cheyfitz briefly mentioned the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. Here, in 1890, the United States committed one of its most egregious acts against American Indians: the killing of at least 200 Lakota women and children at Wounded Knee.

Sometime during the middle of the 20th century (I cannot recall exactly when) the Federal Government placed a sign on the reservation at the exact location of the incident; the sign read the “Battle of Wounded Knee.” Members of the Lakota tribe were outraged by this description of a “battle:” they asked if the slaughter of 200 women and children constituted as such. Recently, the sign has been amended. A plate that reads “massacre” now covers “battle.”

I learned this history during two separate month-long visits to the Pine Ridge Reservation in the summers of 2011 and 2012. During these stays I volunteered with a nonprofit that is working to build sustainable housing on the reservation.

The level of poverty I witnessed was astounding. One would never imagine such need exists within our country. At the local high school, lead pipes render the water undrinkable. Public housing is in disrepair, left damaged by springtime tornadoes and harsh winters. The crime rates are shockingly high. Scariest is the frequency of teen suicide.

The injustice did not end in 1890 at Wounded Knee, but rather it continues to this day. If you ever have the chance to go help on Pine Ridge, take it, and continue to spread the word about the hidden poverty that exists within our very borders.