November is Native American Heritage Month, an observance dedicated to celebrating the rich and diverse cultures, traditions, and histories and to acknowledge the important contributions of Native people.
It is also an opportunity to raise a general awareness about the unique challenges Native people have faced both historically and in the present, and commit to working to advance Indigenous people’s rights and address the health care needs of Indigenous communities. Native American Heritage Month is also commonly referred to as American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month.
One way to honor the histories of the communities and land we stand on is through Land Acknowledgments. Land Acknowledgments help to counter the "doctrine of discovery" with the true story of people who were already here and it supports larger truth-telling and reconciliation efforts.
Native Americans in Politics: This month, six Native American and Native Hawaiian people were elected to the House of Representatives — a record-breaking number! A total of 13 Native American candidates were competing for House seats this year. The group is split evenly by party — three Democrats and three Republicans — and the winners reside in Kansas, Hawaii, Oklahoma, and New Mexico.
Want to learn more about Native history and how to support Native community members? These articles are a great place to start:
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/six-native-americans-elected-to-congress-record-breaking/
https://www.vox.com/21559183/navajo-nation-arizona-biden-indigenous-voters
https://crosscut.com/opinion/2020/11/what-bidens-win-means-truth-and-reconciliation
Native organizations you can follow:
■ Advance Native Political Leaders
■ The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI)
■ Indian Health Service (IHS) - An agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Indian Health Service is responsible for providing federal health services to Native Americans across the United States
■ Association of American Indian Physicians
■ National Native American AIDS Prevention Center
○ Hashtags: #NativeAmericanHeritageMonth #NativeWomenLead #NativeVote2020
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Tags: Native-American