- Details
- By Native News Online Staff
The White House announced on Friday that Dr. Jill Biden, the First Lady of the United States will visit Bethel, Alaska on Wednesday, May 17, 2023 to highlight the Biden-Harris Administration's historic investments to expand broadband connectivity in Native American communities, including Alaska Native communities in Alaska’s Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. These investments were made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and are part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda.
Dr. Biden’s visit will be the first visit to Bethel, Alaska by a First Lady of the United States.
The First Lady will be joined by Rep. Mary Peltola (D-AK), the first Alaska Native ever elected to Congress. Dr. Biden and Peltola will hold a joint event to highlight major investments made towards expanding broadband access in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta and how broadband can improve health, education, and work training systems in Alaska. They will also discuss other needs and priorities across rural Alaska communities.
“I’m proud we have a First Lady who is a real advocate for education and health care access. These are issues that affect every Alaskan and every American,” Peltola said in a news release on Saturday. “I am glad that she has chosen to visit Bethel to see firsthand our unique way of life in Western Alaska. I want this to be an opportunity to demonstrate some of the challenges faced by rural communities in our state.”
Since becoming the First Lady, Dr. Biden has visited several tribal communities, including the Saginaw Chippewa Tribe of Michigan, Cherokee Nation, Navajo Nation, and the Tohono O'odham Nation.
More Stories Like This
Biden Nominates Salish & Kootenai Tribal Attorney Danna Jackson for Federal BenchA Conversation With Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan: What We Can Celebrate Around the State
Return to the Heart Foundation Gives 44 Micro-Grants to Native Women Leaders
Indigenous Journalists Association President Addresses Members of the UNPFII
Inter-Tribal Council Passes Resolution Urging FCC to Establish Specific Event Code for Missing and Endangered Persons
Native Perspective. Native Voices. Native News.
We launched Native News Online because the mainstream media often overlooks news that is important is Native people. We believe that everyone in Indian Country deserves equal access to news and commentary pertaining to them, their relatives and their communities. That's why the story you’ve just finished was free — and we want to keep it that way, for all readers. We hope you'll consider making a donation to support our efforts so that we can continue publishing more stories that make a difference to Native people, whether they live on or off the reservation. Your donation will help us keep producing quality journalism and elevating Indigenous voices. Any contribution of any amount — big or small — gives us a better, stronger future and allows us to remain a force for change. Donate to Native News Online today and support independent Indigenous-centered journalism. Thank you.
