In Illinois, Native people are getting help to create a new cemetery for the remains of their relatives. ICT’s Vincent Moniz reports.

The National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition does powerful work addressing the lasting harms of a troubled era. One key component of the effort is building a list of all the institutions involved and mapping them. ICT’s Stewart Huntington visited with Deidre Whiteman from the coalition to talk about her database work.

Current data shows Native American people are more likely to develop Alzheimer’s, other forms of dementia, when compared to their White counterparts. Next month, the Native American Outreach Program at Banner Alzheimer’s Institute will host its annual caregivers conference. Heather Mulder is the organization’s associate director of outreach.

A slice of our Indigenous world:

  • California Senator Alex Padilla and Representative Jared Huffman sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland asking for the Department of Justice to place dedicated personnel in California as part of the agency’s Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons Regional Outreach Program. A plan to place attorneys and coordinators in 10 states to address the MMIP crisis did not include California.
  • The U.S. Board on Geographic Names voted overwhelmingly to change Mount Evans to Mount Blue Sky. It came at the request of the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes and with the approval of Colorado Gov. Jared Polis. Named for John Evans, Colorado’s second territorial governor and former superintendent of Indian Affairs, who resigned after Col. John Chivington led an 1864 massacre of more than 200 Arapaho and Cheyenne people at Sand Creek.
  • Officials from the Washington Football team say the Commander’s name is here to stay. Team President Jason Wright said a return to the former team name — which is a dictionary-defined racial slur— is not being considered. The team changed the name from the “R word” in 2020 to the Washington Football team and then to the Washington Commanders in early 2022. Some were unsettled, however, after a change.org petition calling for the “R word” name to be restored, reached more than 100,000 signatures.
  • Above the Medicine Line, a university is aiming to make living more comfortable for Indigenous students. The University of Waterloo in Ontario is building a 500-resident dorm geared toward the needs of Indigenous students. It will include a healing garden for growing medicinal plants, a smudging center, and a place for live-in elders to meet with students.
  • The Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum in Arizona, was supposed to launch its fall exhibition last week. There is a six-week pause while museum officials add a disclaimer, saying that the artwork represents only the artist’s views. That’s too much for Thomas “Breeze” Marcus, who is Akimel and Tohono O’odham. He says this amounts to censorship and he will not display any of his work in Mesa.

Today’s newscast was created with work from:

Shirley Sneve, Ponca/Sicangu Lakota, is vice president of broadcasting for the ICT Newscast. Follow her on Twitter @rosebudshirley. She is based in Nebraska and Minnesota.

Aliyah Chavez, Kewa Pueblo, is the anchor of the ICT Newscast. On Twitter: @aliyahjchavez.

McKenzie Allen-Charmley, Dena’ina Athabascan, is a producer for the ICT Newscast. Instagram: @mallencharmley.

Paris Wise, Zia and Laguna Pueblos, is a producer for the ICT Newscast. Email: paris@ictnews.org.

Stewart Huntington is a producer for the ICT Newscast.

Quindrea Yazzie, Diné, is a video production editor for the ICT Newscast. Email: qyazzie@ictnews.org . Yazzie is based in Phoenix.

Daniel Herrera Carbajal is a video editor for the ICT Newscast. On Twitter: @daniulherrrera

Pauly Denetclaw, Diné, is a political correspondent for ICT. Email her at pauly@ictnews.org

Pacey Smith-Garcia, Ute, is a production assistant for the ICT Newscast. On Twitter: @paceyjournalist.

Nick Parks is a Production Assistant for the ICT Newscast. On Twitter: @NickParks2002

Jack Orleans is an Intern for the ICT Newscast. On Twitter @JackOrleans5

Demi Dupavillon is an Intern for the ICT Newscast. On Twitter @DemiDupavillon

Mark Trahant, Shoshone-Bannock, is ICT editor-at-large and executive producer of the ICT Newscast Email: marktrahant@ictnews.org Trahant is based in Phoenix.

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