DECOLONIZING YOUR NEWSFEED
 

Voting rights advocate Lucy Nicolar Poolaw of the Penobscot Nation casts the first Native American vote allowed on a reservation in Maine, 1955. (Danny Maher, Bangor Daily News)

 

INDIGENOUS SUFFRAGE| 8.14.20
 

Next Tuesday, August 18th, marks the official centennial anniversary of the 19th Amendment’s ratification. While it took the better part of a century to pass a law saying American women had the right to vote, it took even longer for Indigenous women — which, to be sure, was a limitation felt among all Native Americans. For the longest time, the word “suffrage” has been aligned with the historic passage of the 19th Amendment - a law which decreed that states could not discriminate voters on the basis of their sex. But in reality, such shorthand, couched in twentieth-century white feminism, was woefully exclusionary. The right to vote in Indian Country tells another side of this struggle in which Indigenous women were on the frontlines from the start. I write about what led these brave and overlooked women to fight for the vote—what is largely unfinished business in Indian Country.

Also in this week’s newsletter, a last-minute plea to urge President Trump to order executive clemency for the only Native American inmate on death row, Lezmond Mitchell. There are only two days left to sign the letter. Scroll down below to learn why this cause is really more about the preservation of tribal sovereignty — an appropriate reminder as to why political representation at the polls and in politics matters.

Have a great weekend, everybody. And thank you for all the encouraging feedback!

 

THE INDIGENOUS INTERNET
 
 

ENDORSEMENT
 

TIME IS RUNNING OUT: Only two more days to ask Trump to Commute Lezmond Mitchell's Death Sentence, Aug. 26

Over the objections of the Navajo Nation, the local United States Attorney’s Office, and even members of the victims’ family who have each requested that the government not seek the death penalty against Navajo inmate, Lezmond Mitchell—the Department of Justice denied those requests and has insisted on a capital prosecution. Read more about how this starkly contradicts Congressional intent to preserve tribal sovereignty. Then please consider signing a letter calling for executive clemency of Mitchell’s Aug. 26, 2020 execution.

 

THE CRISIS
 

When Alice Qannik Glenn, an Iñupiaq podcaster was approached by a white journalist to report about Arctic-based climate change, red flags immediately went up. Her first worry was about being tokenized. Her next was anticipating more “doom and gloom” reporting. Read how “Alaska Natives on the Front Lines” is actively working against multi-layered bias in journalism.
 

INDEX
 

Number of days left to sign a letter urging executive clemency for Lezmond Mitchell: 2

Number of people videoed in a fatal reservation-based fight for Corey Blackwolf: 7

Total US Senators criticizing FBI policing of N.Cheyenne Reservation where he died: 2

Exact months passed since the defunct tribal jail was urged to reopen, but hasn’t: 8

Total mileage of border wall construction a California tribe is suing Trump over: 21

Number of cultural monitors allowed at the wall to witness Kumeyaay exhumations: 1 

Number of schools the Bureau of Indian Education will reopen amidst COVID fears: 54

Percentage of Native American students who graduate from BIE schools: 59%

Estimated percentage of students who passed standardized English exams, in 2019 : 15%

Number of failed appeals Kamala Harris filed as California AG to block a tribal casino: 3

Total tribal casinos in California: 74

Estimated combined gaming revenue as of 2016: $8.4B

Number of pre-historic pottery shards analyzed revealing traces of coffee and wine: 54 

Estimated number of Facebook followers of quarantine powwow dance page: 71K

Number of celebrities nominated for chief of the Walpole Island First Nation: 2
 

FEEDBACK
 

“Congrats on that award!!! Also, enjoying your newsletter! ”

Robert, Philadelphia, PA
 

QUOTE
 

“For far too long, Congress has been passing laws to limit the power of tribal governments without any tribal input. It is far past time for us to have a seat at the table.” - Muscogee (Creek) attorney, Sarah Deer, reflecting in the New York Times about Indigenous political representation upon the 19th Amendment centennial.

 

Indigenously is a newsletter produced by Jenni Monet (Laguna Pueblo)

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