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- By Levi Rickert
Native Vote 2024. CHICAGO — Deb Haaland (Laguna Pueblo) walked onto the national stage in prime time on Thursday evening, the last session of the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
The announcer introduced her as Deb Haaland, former member of Congress representing New Mexico. She was not there in her official capacity as the secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior.
While not there representing the department she leads, she did represent Indian Country. She wore a white outfit with a white ribbon skirt with multiple colors. She added to her outfit Native jewelry that included a necklace and long dangling earrings.
“Gu’wha’tzi,” Haaland opened her remarks in the Keres language spoken by tribes in New Mexico, including her tribal nation the Laguna Pueblo. She introduced herself using her Keres name that means “Crushed Turquoise” and said she is from the Turquoise clan.
“Thirty-five generations ago, my ancestors built lives in the high desert of New Mexico. I am on this stage tonight because of them,” Haaland said.
She recalled fishing with her father and running through the desert with her cousins as a child. There she learned the responsibility we have to take care of our planet.
“Donald Trump never learned that lesson. He called the climate crisis a hoax. He made it easier for big companies to poison our air and water. An American president must lead the world in tackling climate change,” Haaland said.
“We need a president who understands that assignment. That’s Kamala Harris,” she continued. “I know her record.”
Haaland cited Harris’ holding polluters accountable for spilling oil into the San Francisco Bay. She also mentioned Harris cast the decisive vote in favor of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, which included funding for electric vehicle tax credits, which included the most ambitious climate action plan in the country’s history.
"Let me go back to the lesson I learned in the desert Southwest: we all have a role in protecting our earth for future generations,” Haaland stated.
Thursday night, the fourth and final night of convention, television viewership peaked at 28.9 million during Vice President Harris’ acceptance speech. According to Nielsen.
Haaland serves as the 54th secretary of the Department of the Interior. When was sworn as Interior secretary in March 2021, she became the first Native American to serve in a secretarial role in a presidential cabinet.
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