Archive for the ‘American Indians’ Category

Bringing stories about sexual abuse in Alaska Native communities to light

Bringing stories about sexual abuse in Alaska Native communities to light
ST. MICHAEL, Alaska — It’s trite to write that winter days are short this far north. And it is remarkable watching the sun skate through the sky in such a hurry to disappear. But more than the sun’s pace, it’s the angle that makes a December visit this close to the Arctic Circle so amazing....
April 12th, 2011 | American Indians, Featured | Read More

Bush handed Obama a shovel and said, “I’m out-a here”

Bush handed Obama a shovel and said, “I’m out-a here”
You can see it in the eyes of veteran Indian policy makers all across America because most of them have been there and done that: they are survivors of the federal budget ax. In a lot of ways there are cuts that must be made because this federal administration is in financial trouble, but it wasn’t...
March 7th, 2011 | American Indians, Featured, Politics, US | Read More

Medicaid twists the nullification debate

Medicaid twists the nullification debate
The Idaho Legislature is considering a bill that would make it illegal to implement the Affordable Care Act in Idaho, the so-called “nullification” approach. The idea is that states can dismiss any federal law that they don’t like. And Idaho (and several other states) really don’t like health...
February 7th, 2011 | American Indians, Health | Read More

Native Americans are the invisible consumers out West

South Dakota television stations and corporate advertisers are equipped with blinders when it comes to recognizing the racial diversity in this state. In Western South Dakota (on the west side of the Missouri River), for example, Native Americans make up nearly 25 percent of the population. And yet if...
February 7th, 2011 | American Indians | Read More

Can’t touch this: Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance are protected from current budget threats

Can’t touch this: Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance are protected from current budget threats
Journalists like me have played the role of Chicken Little for many years. We have written dozens of stories about the consequences of an election, predicting what will happen after Republicans win and fulfill their promises to drastically cut government. Only very little happened. Sure, there were significant...
January 24th, 2011 | American Indians, Featured, Health | Read More

Setting a new standard for relations between tribes and the U.S.

Setting a new standard for relations between tribes and the U.S.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — What’s my take away from the White House Tribal Nations Conference? Easy. This is an administration that actually believes the United States government must represent all of the people, including American Indians and Alaska Natives. Make no mistake: Everything is not perfect...
December 21st, 2010 | American Indians, Featured, Politics | Read More

Racist rhetoric fuels hate crimes

Racist rhetoric fuels hate crimes
Originally published on Indian Country Today. In Navajo culture, there is a teaching that “your words are like a prayer.” Words have the power to manifest our reality, to literally bring things into being. Growing up, our elders admonished us to be careful with our words, especially harsh words...
December 16th, 2010 | American Indians, Featured | Read More

We invite the naysayers to join us in promoting unity

We invite the naysayers to join us in promoting unity
When the Unity Committee I formed this year approached Governor Mike Rounds (R-SD) and requested that he proclaim 2010 as a Year of Unity we did so knowing full well that there would be dissenters who find it preferable to whine and sneer rather than join our efforts to promote racial harmony in a state...
November 29th, 2010 | American Indians, Featured, Racial Equity | Read More
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