Hidden America: Changing Dreams

I would like to know what some of you want to do when you grow up. Year -- -- -- what do you wanna be. A cheerleader. A grand. A cowgirl. The kindergarten class at wounded -- schools. We are learning... See More

I would like to know what some of you want to do when you grow up. Year -- -- -- what do you wanna be. A cheerleader. A grand. A cowgirl. The kindergarten class at wounded -- schools. We are learning their own language in the Coca. Something. Prohibited. In children in schools until 1978. When a law made it possible. -- -- -- -- While Hollywood movies gave us cowboys and in. Indians as parity. In fact it surprised -- to learn that one thing from the movies was true. How do you say hello and -- -- Oh but how old and He -- so if -- -- to all of you. Impact it's had not -- -- Seen. -- -- -- Okay me and -- -- -- Yeah are -- and -- I'm -- -- -- -- That -- come back home. It is also hard to believe that as recently as the 1940s. -- children like these were still being taken away from their homes and westernized. Clothes changed haircut the stated philosophy. Kill the Indian saved the man. I don't think anybody. And then Indian world doesn't want their child to be educated but whether or not that entails going -- western form of school as a whole different conversation. I think Thompson of Lakota from a neighboring reservation. Graduated from Harvard law can you succeed in this war -- Without a western form of education you can't succeed in this world let you know who you are but. Can't you do the -- simultaneously. -- many tribes are trying to do now the new leaders are also trying to teach something else. Resilience. A lot of these kids think failures that's it we all fail and it's okay. And. Fill fill fill with -- -- success Jason Braveheart a former marine who is trying to motivate new generation of entrepreneurs. This generational. Spring awakening about to take place Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull you know when He fought for us kids to me. -- Tooth and nail to preserve our culture. And now to be -- modern -- warriors. Out there. -- like the high school student who calls for something He sunshine when playing a network reporter in a school project. In my life she is an eighteen year old senior named Alina. Who is cheerleader actor -- to. She even has an ambition to be the first Cota and -- on American Idol. Yeah -- -- also has a boyfriend who is a star one of only 600 students selected to go to -- cloud Indian school. The golden opportunity on the reservation. The only schools funded by outside donors 90% of the kids here go to college. Linda's boyfriend is going to go using the gates scholarship He won. Angelina also has a champion and her mother Julie. Who wants thought she too would travel the world. Then got pregnant. Elaine has always said -- I don't have -- I'm going to be a senior aren't going to be a star then -- -- I'm Lena and her boyfriend had been dating for three months. When she found out she was pregnant. He says they use protection it didn't work they had to break the news to mom oh crap. Right at first after numbness -- -- and reality was setting in that she. She cried and since I -- have to give up everything and I am basically set me. Have all your feelings now -- -- that babies born don't you ever make you -- feel like. That that. Here she's the reason. Your life has changed. Yeah. Do you -- hasten tenor Sierra seven pounds nine ounces. And CNN time. -- news pain. Me. -- And Houston. Three months later I see the -- Just its. -- wounds and other media spends more. By now and Lena and her boyfriend have gotten married. She is buckling a bit under the enormous change. Her life raising a child. She tells me five or six of her friends are also pregnant. In this part of the world where teen birth rates -- three times the national average half of her classes simply dropped out. But illiterate is not kind of girl who gives up and she's determined she is going to be different. So take a look at Alina and BP -- at her high school graduation. Then she decides she's going to try out for American Idol after all that. We watch and wait in line. At -- -- and we have. -- so many kids. Big city it's. I come from Palin's resignation. Traffic she practices -- politician's -- Going down. Mary. -- And comes back and tells us and it didn't -- Tennis match Barack -- thanks very Nazi trash him Carolinas so that her young husband -- her way. Laying down she says not pounds. I guess -- show news. She is one of the new generation of Lakota. No American Idol and still no shortage of dreams.