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Native Americans are among those gathered in the Windy City for the Democratic National Convention (DNC) to discuss tribal priorities with elected officials.
National Native News anchor Antonia Gonzales reports from Chicago.
Native people from across the country gathered in a packed room for a Native American Caucus meeting.
The meeting is among 33 council and caucus meetings the DNC is hosting this week.
Attendees at the Monday morning meeting including convention delegates, tribal leaders, and community members.
It began with a prayer and land acknowledgement.
Panel discussions were paused as special guests made appearances, including Democratic National Committee chair Jaime Harrison and U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ).
The room was overwhelmed with excitement when vice-presidential hopeful, Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN), walked in.
“There’s something in Minnesota that we take seriously and that’s tribal sovereignty.”
Gov. Walz, in brief remarks, acknowledged tribal sovereignty and the 11 Native Nations in his state.
Gov. Walz says tribal consultation is key when addressing Indian Country issues, including economic development, education, and environmental and health issues.
Before exiting, Gov. Walz recognized Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan (White Earth Nation/D-MN).
He says if the Harris-Walz ticket wins in November, it also means a win for Lt. Gov. Flanagan, who would become governor.
Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan welcomes delegates to the DNC on Monday, August 19. (Photo: Seo McPolin)
Arizona DNC delegate and Gila River Indian Community Governor Stephen Roe Lewis is among those excited about both the Harris-Walz ticket and Lt. Gov. Flanagan’s possible next leadership role.
“Of course, she knows firsthand how important tribal sovereignty is, how important it is for that state-tribal partnership as well, that if we elect Gov. Tim Walz as our next vice president, Vice President Kamala Harris as our next president, but she (Lt. Gov. Flanagan) would be the first Native governor of a state and also the first female governor of the state of Minnesota. It’s amazing.”
The Native American Caucus continued with panel discussions including on the topic of the Native Vote 2024.
The caucus will meet again on Wednesday.
(Courtesy Willi White / NDN Collective)
As the school year approaches, one Indigenous-led organization is handing out backpacks to Rapid City, S.D. kids.
As SDPB’s Lee Strubinger reports, NDN Collective officials say they distributed more than 2,000 backpacks last Friday.
The line for families seeking backpacks for the upcoming school year wrapped around the Journey Museum parking lot near downtown Rapid City.
This is the fourth year in a row NDN Collective has handed out school supplies to Native children before school starts.
Despite handing out thousands of backpacks, the organization ran out of supplies to those still standing in line.
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Nick Tilsen is the CEO of NDN Collective. He says the backpack giveaway has grown every year.
“A lot of people who have privilege and have resources don’t realize that going back to school is a good thing, but it’s also a very expensive thing. But we’ve also noticed thousands of people coming here and the community being really grateful for it and, really, it helping reduce stress for families too.”
Tilsen says NDN Collective is focused on education for Native children to combat the school-to-prison pipeline.
The group is also backing the Oceti Sakowin Community Academy, a private school founded in Lakota language, culture, and spirituality.
Mary Bowman heads of the school, which is heading into its third year.
“In November, we will be out on the land where our school will eventually be built—our permanent building. It’s something that we’re looking forward to doing and I know our kids are super excited to be in our own building because that’ll allow us to do more things—like after school programming, summer programming for our students and families.”
The academy has been operating in churches around the city.
The new facility is in a development in north Rapid City.
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