October 26, 2020
Voter suppression is still a major issue across Indian Country , with voter ID laws, address requirements and scant polling places making it harder for American Indians and Alaska Natives to cast their votes. However, Indian Country also has something to celebrate this election season: courts have struck down several laws this year that would have made voting in 2020 even more difficult. Here are some of the wins tribes and voting experts are celebrating.
Currents
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. – On Sunday, the Navajo Department of Health, in coordination with the Navajo Epidemiology Center and the Navajo Area Indian Health Service, reported 76 new COVID-19 positive cases for the Navajo Nation and no recent deaths. The total number of deaths remains 574 as previously reported last Monday.
WASHINGTON — With the release of the White House’s Putting America's First Peoples First - Forgotten No More! policy vision and the Biden campaign’s Biden-Harris Plan for Tribal Nations , both major presidential candidates have offered up plans for Indian Country.
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. — On Saturday, the Navajo Department of Health, in coordination with the Navajo Epidemiology Center and the Navajo Area Indian Health Service, reported 64 new COVID-19 positive cases for the Navajo Nation and no recent deaths. The total number of deaths remains 574 as previously reported on Monday. Reports indicate that 7,466 individuals have recovered from COVID-19, and 121,274 COVID-19 tests have been administered. The total number of positive COVID-19 cases is now 11,217, which includes two delayed reported cases.
SISSETON, S.D. — Yesterday, a Dakotas for Biden sign was vandalized with the words “Trump 2020 F**k Biden, F**k BLM” circled out on the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate (SWO) Indian Reservation in South Dakota.
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Opinion
Guest Opinion. Four hundred years ago, my ancestors were faced with a decision that indelibly shaped our world. In November of 1620 they chose to help the fledgling settlers of the Mayflower. They chose empathy over hate, mercy over revenge and inclusion over isolation. While the history that followed for our people was not just, the decision that they made was rooted in the values Native Americans continue to hold true.
Opinion. The 2020 election is being called the most consequential election of our lifetime. With voting already underway across the United States, forecasters are predicting more than 150 million Americans will vote in this election versus the 139 million who voted in the 2016 presidential election. If the forecasted number of voters cast their ballots, this election would be the highest voter-turnout percentage in over 100 years.
Sovereignty
The Supreme Court announced last Monday that it would take up a case involving the U.S.-Mexico border wall. There’s been no shortage of lawsuits filed against the Trump administration to try stopping construction of the wall. Most of the lawsuits are focused on money, specifically the administration’s use of Pentagon funding to build the wall along the country’s southern border.
LA CONNER, Wash. — Tribal communities are reviving 3,500-year-old eco-friendly practices to create sustainable beaches along the Pacific Northwest Coast.
Education
PERKINS, Okla. — Iowa Tribe Higher Education Director Regina Riley’s virtual avatar stands in a small, partially blank room, one wall emblazoned with the logo and title of the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma.
CROWNPOINT, N.M. — The Journal of Power Source, a well-respected journal for researchers and technologists interested in all aspects of science, technology and applications of sources of electrochemical power, has published research by a Navajo Technical University (NTU) associate professor and recent biology graduate.
Arts & Entertainment
Marvel Entertainment continues to diversify its comic book universe just in time for Native American Heritage Month by introducing “Marvel’s Voices: Indigenous Voices #1.”
A bad auntie, a brilliant basketmaker, and the biggest showbiz industry event in Indian Country are all vying for your attention this weekend and next week. Which intriguing Indigenous events will you dive into?
Health
Business
WHITERIVER, Ariz. — The White Mountain Apache Tribe voluntarily suspended operations of its Hon-dah Casino on Sunday night, Oct. 18 after two employees tested positive for Covid-19. The attached Hon-dah Hotel was closed on Monday, Oct. 19 at checkout time.
WASHINGTON — A bill to jumpstart Native American-owned small business creation passed the House on Monday and is on its way to the White House for the president’s signature.