May 03, 2024
Haley Omeasoo, the founder and executive director of Ohkomi Forensics, was 20 years old when she saw a missing persons flier for her former high school classmate, Ashley Loring Heavyrunner.
Currents
MMIP. The Democratic National Committee (DNC) announced today it will launch a new print and digital awareness campaign to commemorate the upcoming Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Day on May 5.
From Our Partners
The Ute Indian Housing Authority (UIHA), Fort Duchesne, Utah intends to identify and select interested accounting/auditing firms that provide auditing services specifically for Indian Housing Authorities or Tribally Designated Housing Entities as defined in the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act of 1996 (NAHASDA). The Auditor must be responsible, qualified, and must be able to perform the audit in accordance with the requirements of the Single Audit Act. The successful firm will be offered a 1 year service contract with a cost limit to be determined by UIHA. This Request for Proposals (RFP) is not an Invitation for Bid but a written proposal addressing the services listed.
California Indian Nations College (CINC) has been dedicated to its preparation for their highly anticipated 2nd Annual Fire Gala. The Gala, a fundraising initiative, is scheduled to take place on Friday, May 17, 2024, between the hours of 6-9PM, at the stunning Agua Caliente Resort Casino Spa Rancho Mirage, this event is sure to be an evening to remember.
Opinion
Guest Opinion. Nearly 4,000 miles separate Alaska’s North Slope, the ancestral homelands of the North Slope Iñupiat, and Washington D.C. But after multiple trips between the two to advocate for our self-determination in our ancestral homelands before the vast bureaucracy of the federal government, it feels like we live on different planets.
Guest Opinion. This April, I’m taking a moment to reflect on the progress we’ve made to improve access to health care for communities of color. April is Minority Health Month, a time to acknowledge and raise awareness about health disparities among historically disadvantaged minority populations in our country – and what President Joe Biden is doing to close the gap.
Sovereignty
MMIP. Amidst the launch of MMIP Awareness week, a notable victory in Northern California sees justice served for Milton “Yogi” McGarva, a Pit River tribal citizen.
On April 25, 2024, the Tohono O’odham Nation, the National Congress of American Indians, the Inter-Tribal Association of Arizona, the Association on American Indian Affairs, and the National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers filed an amicus brief urging all 29 Judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit to rehear Apache Stronghold v. U.S.
Education
California Assemblymember James C. Ramos held a press conference on Wednesday, April 24, 2024, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento to urge schools to use a supportive approach before resorting to suspensions and expulsions for students violating drug-related infractions.
On April 12, 2024, DePaul University in Chicago was designated an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution (AANAPISI) for the fiscal year 2024 by the U.S. Department of Education.
Arts & Entertainment
The Sundance Institute on Monday unveiled the fellows chosen for its 2024 Directors, Screenwriters, and Native Labs.
Indigenous model Wahatehontsatshén:ri (Waha) Delormier, a member of the Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) community, is set to take the runway at the upcoming Santa Fe Indigenous Fashion Week, scheduled from May 2 to May 5 in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Health
Environment
President Biden announced today that the San Gabriel Mountains and Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monuments will be expanded by 120,000 acres.
Tribal nations in the United States are leading a “Rights of Nature” movement to enshrine the inherent rights of the natural world — including plants, animals, and lands and waters — into law.