Bernie Sanders joining the first-ever Native American political forum Sioux City, Iowa. Aug 19/20

[Donkees]

Excerpt:

Some 3 million to 5 million Native Americans live in the U.S., according to the National Congress of American Indians. And, as Semans points out, that’s an important voting block: “Right now, we have large populations in seven states that are battleground states.” Native American political influence has had a substantial impact on elections in some states. In North Dakota in 2012, for example, tribal voter turnout efforts were credited with the election of Democratic Senator Heidi Heitkamp, who won by a slim 3,000 vote margin.

Over the two-day event, candidates will take questions from panels of elected tribal officials, tribal members, and Native American youth. The forum will likely discuss a plethora of issues, among them sovereign rights of tribes, housing, and the protection of Native land.

Another topic that’s likely to come up: voter suppression and disenfranchisement. In states like North Dakota and Wisconsin, Native Americans are dissuaded from going to the polls by voter ID laws that require identification with proof of address that it is difficult for many to obtain: many Native American nations are located in rural areas without formal addresses. What’s more, polling places are often situated far from those nations. Thankfully, in last year’s midterm elections, Native American rights advocates went to bat against the issue and championed unprecedented voter turnout.

https://grist.org/article/bernie-sanders-among-2020-candidates-joining-the-first-ever-native-american-political-forum/


JIM WATSON / AFP / Getty Images

[Uncle Joe]

1. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread Donkees.

[Donkees]

2. Pine Ridge man to sing National Anthem in Lakota at presidential forum

Aug 1, 2019

Excerpt:

A Pine Ridge man will take center stage later next month when he sings the National Anthem in Lakota at the first presidential forum dedicated to issues impacting Native American communities.

"I think it's an honor to be able to represent the Oglala Lakota people," 20-year-old Steven Wilson said Wednesday. "For a long time Native Americans have gone without a voice in the government" so the forum is "really monumental in my mind because we have presidential candidates that are taking the time to learn and express their stance on Native American issues."

Wilson will sing the anthem during the opening ceremony of the forum at 9 a.m. on August 19 and again on August 20 at the Orpheum Theatre in Sioux City, Iowa. The event, titled the Frank LaMere Presidential Candidate Forum, is named after a Winnebago activist who died in June and is known for helping to shut down the stores in White Clay, Nebraska, that sold alcohol to people on the Pine Ridge Reservation.

"We're just very honored that (Wilson will) be singing the national anthem, especially in Lakota," said Matt Samp, spokesman for Four Directions, the Mission-based Native American voting rights organization that's hosting the forum. Wilson "really has a message to people. He isn't just singing the national anthem, he recognizes the sacrifices that Native Americans have made for their country, even though land was taken from them."

The upcoming forum will focus on treaty obligations, sovereignty, addressing the Missing and Murdered Women crisis and improving Native American infrastructure, economic development, health care and education, according to the release. Candidates will also be asked about their position on the Remove the Stain Act, a bipartisan bill that would revoke the medals given to soldiers who carried out the Wounded Knee massacre.


https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/pine-ridge-man-to-sing-national-anthem-in-lakota-at/article_e881ecd8-f702-5278-b3ce-6c9c9cc6e3b2.html