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Kansas tribes are seeking the removal of the state’s education commissioner Randy Watson following disparaging comments Watson made at a recent conference.
The education official recounted a childhood story about tornadoes saying he would tell his cousins to be more worried about Indians raiding a town.
Last week, the Kansas Department of Education released a video of Watson making the remarks during a virtual gathering.
The four tribes of Kansas are asking for Watson’s resignation and say they refused to consider any other alternatives.
The tribes say there are deeper concerns about the safety and welfare of Native students attending Kansas schools.
They want children to be proud of being Native American and be able to celebrate their culture in an environment which displays respect and honor.
The tribes say Native people continue to flourish even when faced with incidents like this one with the Commissioner of the Kansas School System.
Watson was reportedly talking about difficulties teaching during the pandemic and used hurricanes and tornadoes as an example when he recounted the story.
The Kansas City Star reports Watson offered his resignation last week, but it was rejected by the board of education.
Instead, he was suspended without pay for 30 days.
Photo: H2rty
The National Congress of American Indians and the Native American Rights Fund released a joint statement Friday on President Biden’s nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Supreme Court.
If confirmed, she’ll be the first Black woman to sit on the highest court in the nation.
National Congress of American Indians President Fawn Sharp in a statement said Indian Country knows how important it is to have diverse perspectives and voices on the bench.
Sharp called on the Senate to fulfill its duties and hold hearings on the nomination.
Native American Rights Fund Executive Director John Echohawk said they look forward to working with NCAI on the nomination.
The national Native organizations closely follow what happens in federal courts and work to increase knowledge of federal Indian law as decisions often have impacts on tribal nations.
The groups stressed the need for Supreme Court justices to have the understanding, recognizing and upholding principles of tribal sovereignty, treaty rights and federal trust responsibilities.
Health care for tribal citizens living in Pennington County, SD is now controlled by tribes and not the federal government.
On Saturday, all health care services provided by the Indian Health Service Rapid City Unit transferred to the Oyate Health Center.
The center is a tribally-managed clinic operated by the Great Plains Tribal Leaders Health Board.
The Cheyenne River Sioux, Rosebud Sioux and Oglala Sioux Tribes formally authorized the change.
The center provides a range of health and wellness services to American Indian and Alaska Native people.
Patients who require care beyond the capabilities of the unit will be referred to outside providers.
Emergency services will be transferred to a hospital about four miles away.
According to the Indian Health Service, more than 60 percent of IHS appropriation is administered by tribes, primarily through self-determination contracts or self-governance compacts.
IHS provides health care to more than two million American Indians and Alaska Natives across the country.
The United National Indian Tribal Youth organization is morning the loss of its founder J.R. Cook who passed away Friday at the age of 83 in Oklahoma.
Cook started the organization in the 1970s with a small group of people.
UNITY has since grown, representing Native youth leaders across the U-S and internationally fostering their spiritual, mental, physical and social development.
Cook’s death comes as UNITY wrapped up its mid-year gathering over the weekend in Arizona where hundreds of young people took part in Native youth-led activities.
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