For Immediate Release—October 9, 2024
Native Organizers Alliance Action Fund Says Harris “Will Bring More Progress” in Indian Country
Washington, DC — The nation’s leading Native advocacy group, Native Organizers Alliance Action Fund, a 501(c)(4) partner to Native Organizers Alliance, endorsed the Harris-Walz ticket for President. The following statement from Judith LeBlanc (Caddo), executive director of Native Organizers Alliance Action Fund, can be quoted in-full or in-part.
“Native Organizers Alliance Action Fund is proud to endorse Kamala Harris for President. Indian Country has seen significant gains during the past four years of the Biden administration. Vice President Harris helped usher in new changes to insuring the inclusion of Tribal nations in the federal government’s policies; supported the appointment of the largest number of Native employees in the federal government in U.S. history; achieved unprecedented financial investments in Indian Country; and restored protections at Bears Ears National Monument, a site that is sacred to many Tribal nations.
Significantly, the Biden-Harris administration also nominated the first Native woman, Deb Haaland, to serve in the role of Secretary of the Department of the Interior. This monumental achievement has opened new avenues for improving Tribal relations, with executive orders directing federal agencies to build stronger, more effective consultation processes.
Looking ahead, Native Organizers Alliance Action Fund believes a Harris administration will build on the momentum and bring more progress in Indian Country on the issues we care about most: upholding and strengthening Tribal sovereignty, addressing racial and economic disparities by expanding access to resources, and protecting the environment.
Vice President Harris’s running mate, Tim Walz, also brings a wealth of experience in working with Tribal nations during his time as Governor of Minnesota. In partnership with Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan, a citizen of the White Earth Nation, he worked with 11 Tribes in Minnesota to address their concerns. Together they created a model for how states work with Tribal nations, requiring trainings on sovereignty and Tribal consultations by all state departments. Walz also took time to meet with the Native American Caucus at the Democratic National Convention, acknowledging the political significance of the Native vote.
Native Organizers Alliance Action Fund has been alarmed by comments made by the Trump campaign. Both candidates, Trump and Vance, have been on the record denying climate change, which disproportionately affects communities of color and threatens to destroy our sacred sites. The Trump campaign has also proposed seizing federal lands for energy extraction and to build housing developments. Both proposals are a violation of Tribal sovereignty and pose an extreme risk to our sacred sites. Vance has also called Indigenous Peoples Day “fake” and made derogatory comments about our Two-Spirit relatives. This is completely unacceptable and hateful rhetoric from a candidate for the second-highest office in the nation.
This is a pivotal moment in our democracy and the continued need to achieve full recognition of Tribal sovereignty. We have organized Native grassroots political pressure and won significant gains to protect our sacred places, secure funding for the needs of our elders and children, and uphold our rights as sovereign nations through a stronger Tribal-federal relationship. We cannot afford to go back to the days where the rights of Tribes and Native peoples are trampled upon. Native Organizers Alliance Action Fund is focused on building a future where all people can participate in and benefit from a strong, inclusive multiracial democracy. Harris-Walz brings hope for the kind of future we need.”
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