PHOENIX – Former chairman and president of the Navajo Nation, Peterson Zah, announced Jan. 30 that he will be supporting Sen. Hillary Clinton for president.
”Sen. Clinton is a leader who has the experience to turn this country around,” said Zah. ”She has proposed an economic stimulus plan aimed to help the Navajo Nation and across America by taking steps to stop predatory lenders, provide tax relief for families and create new good paying jobs. She will work to strengthen all communities, including Native Americans – all of our voices will be heard.”
Zah and his family attended Clinton’s visit to Caesar Chavez High School in Laveen, Ariz., the evening of Jan. 29. He said he was interested to see and hear her on the issues. After the rally, Clinton talked and met with Arizona residents, including Zah.
”I am impressed with her commitment to addressing the serious challenges facing Native American communities. She is clearly dedicated to honoring tribal sovereignty and the government-to-government relationship between tribes and the federal government, appointing Native Americans to key positions in her administration, improving health care, housing and support of Indian education issues,” Zah said. ”Hillary has experience moving legislation and being effective. Throughout her years as first lady, in the Senate, and as a candidate for president, she has reached out to the Native American community, and her detailed, comprehensive Native American agenda reflects her deep understanding of our challenges and her appreciation of our cultures.”
Zah previously worked with Clinton when she was involved in the Legal Aid Services program in the 1970s. After becoming president, Bill Clinton attended a meeting in Shiprock, N.M., focused on eliminating the digital divide where he addressed more than 10,000 Navajos outside the Boys and Girls Club on the Navajo Nation. Hillary Clinton visited the Navajo Nation during the Navajo Nation Fair of September 1992. The trip included cultural events and a ride in the annual fair parade.
”President Zah has an incredible record of working on behalf of Navajo Nation, and I am honored to have his support,” Clinton said. ”Unfortunately, President Bush’s fiscal policies have left many Navajos with a crushing financial burden. As president, I am committed to a government-to-government relationship with the Navajo Nation, and I will work with President Zah and other tribal leaders throughout Indian country so that our first Nations and the country as a whole will have a brighter and more prosperous future.”
