When Activities Coordinator Silver Little Eagle, 23, first put a call out on the Northern Cheyenne Tribe’s Elderly Program Facebook page for pen pal participants, she didn’t know what to expect. Then letters started pouring in. “When they first got their letters they were kind of surprised that they got that much attention,” said Little Eagle. “They were thinking they were about to get a few letters or so. But each person got around 40 letters in the first batch of mail.” And that was just the first round. Read more here
Family support and adjusting expectations help Native grads facing historically high unemployment
Megan Heller has not one, but two master’s degrees from Eastern Washington University. But after classes moved online early and a virtual graduation in the spring because of the pandemic, Heller had no luck finding a job.
“I probably applied for about fifty jobs,” Heller said. “I got a lot of ‘positions were canceled due to funding limits.’ Entry level jobs that I applied for said I didn’t have enough experience or I didn’t meet the qualifications or they just didn’t get back to me.” Read more here.
Native solutions to tackle COVID-19
Public and personal health, civil rights, economic development, and sovereignty are facing significant challenges because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Native people are on the front lines, offering unique solutions during crisis. National Native News and the Solutions Journalism Network teamed up to find stories of resilience. Read more here.
Navajo Nation marks significant COVID-19 milestone
by Christine Trudeau The Navajo Nation reported its second day of no additional COVID-19 deaths in three days. After months of strict lockdowns, curfews and public admonishments from tribal leaders, tribal health officials report dwindling numbers of new cases. Twice within a matter of days, the Navajo Nation marked a significant milestone that the Nation’s […]
‘Unprecedented’ donation to offset student COVID-19 challenges
The American Indian Graduate Center is among the non-profits benefiting from a major philanthropic effort by writer MacKenzie Scott. The donation given by Scott, ex-wife to Amazon CEO, billionaire Jeff Bezos, is an unprecedented $20-million in unrestricted funds. It’s part of 1.7 billion-dollars in total contribution to 116 non-profits. Scott said in a announcement on […]
UNITY conference goes virtual
by Christine Trudeau The United National Indian Tribal Youth, organization, or UNITY, is going virtual for their annual conference this year because of the ongoing pandemic. UNITY Executive Director Mary Kim Titla says as Native youth continue to play a vital role in tribal communities combating COVID-19, it’s important for them to take time to […]
Songs offer safety message to young people
by Christine Trudeau The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation collaborated with local musicians to launch a COVID-19 youth safety awareness campaign. So far, following the release of their second hip-hop song, they’re seeing a successful response in their community’s youth. The series, with a targeted social media campaign, is aimed at […]
Suzan Harjo says she’s twice tested positive for coronavirus
by Christine Trudeau First tested on May 19, prominent Native American rights advocate Suzan Harjo says she’s tested positive for Covid-19Suzan Harjo has recently tested again and came up positive a second time for the coronavirus. Harjo is currently making her way through her second round of quarantine. “I have been reading and writing and […]
White Mountain Apache Tribe is upping strict safety measures as positive Covid-19 cases rise
by Christine Trudeau The White Mountain Apache Tribe reached 1,259 reported positive COVID-19 cases. The sudden surge, according to Tribal Chairwoman Gwendena Lee-Gatewood, is likely due an increase in testing and contact tracing. The tribe is on stay-at-home orders, with an 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew, and is closed to non-tribal citizens and tribal […]
Overcoming potential COVID-19 barriers to voting
by Christine Trudeau The Native American Rights Fund has outlined ways to avoid potential voting barriers as states consider safety options during the COVID-19 pandemic. NARF organizers say any move to an entirely vote-by-mail system would be a big problem for Native voters, with the potential to disenfranchise many. Staff attorney Jacqueline DeLeon says inconsistent […]