The Indigenous voices at the Democratic National Convention
Kalle Benallie
ICT
During Tuesday’s Democratic National Convention’s ceremonial roll call in Chicago, where delegates expressed their support for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, South Dakota spotlighted an Indigenous voice for their roll call.
Chante’ Reddest, social media influencer and activist, listed what Harris’ presidency would mean for himself, his friends and community: more opportunities, better paying jobs, better access to health care and quality education.
“I want to say that my people, the Oceti Sakowin, are still here. The Seven Council Fires are still here,” Reddest, Oglala, Sičangu Lakota, said to applause while the instrumental to the song “What I like About You,” by the Romantics plays in the background. Each state had their own introduction music.
The American Samoa and Northern Mariana Islands, both U.S. territories, also casted their vote.
“We are the Northern Mariana Islands where our customs, our culture, our land and oceans bring life into our people. The Earth is not red or blue. The Earth is sick and we must protect it,” Nola Hix, executive director of the Democratic Party of the Northern Mariana Islands, said.
The official tally of the delegates was already done virtually in early August. The DNC has brought tribal leaders, Native Vote organizations, and over 100 Indigenous party delegates from across the country together to the four-day convention.
Harris and Walz, presumed nominee for president and vice president for the Democratic Party, will formally be elected during the convention on Thursday.
Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren, along with several other Indigenous elected leaders, endorse Vice President Kamala Harris. Nygren at the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. (Pauly Denetclaw, ICT)
Arizona's Pima County recorder, Gabriella Cázares-Kelly, Tohono O'odham, is part of the Indigenous elected officials who have endorsed Kamala Harris during the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. (Pauly Denetclaw, ICT)
Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, White Earth Nation, gaveled the first night before President Joe Biden’s speech. Flanagan is one of four co-chairs for this year’s convention and introduced herself in her Ojibwe language and shared her clan, the wolf clan.
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“The role of our clan is to ensure that we never leave anyone behind. That’s why I’m supporting Kamala Harris and Tim Walz to be the next president and vice president of the United States,” she said.
Flanagan’s presence and introduction is significant because if Walz is elected vice president, Flanagan would become the first Native American woman to be a state governor in the U.S.
Also on Monday, DNC Chair Jaime Harrison, U.S. Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, and Walz gave speeches during the first meeting of the Native American Caucus, ICT’s Pauly Denetclaw reported in Chicago.
“There’s something in Minnesota we take very seriously,” Walz said. “It’s tribal sovereignty. It’s not lip service. It’s actions and it’s not when it’s convenient to have tribal sovereignty. It’s every single day about every single decision that needs to be made.”
Other events coinciding with the convention created by Indigenous groups and people are NDN Collective participating in a panel called StopCopCities: Domestic Warfare and Decolonization on Tuesday.
“If the Democratic party is serious about maintaining power, they must platform issues that will actually mobilize their base – like ending the genocide of Palestinian people, land back for Indigenous Peoples, Black reparations, and climate solutions rooted in Indigenous rights, knowledge systems and practices,” Janene Yazzie, director of policy and advocacy at NDN Collective, said in a press release. “Multi-racial democracy cannot just be a talking point for the Democratic party – it must be a goal that they’re committed to reaching through concrete action, centering the voices of those who have been historically and systemically oppressed by these institutions, and divesting tax dollars from military and police and reinvesting in critical community infrastructure such as housing, education, mental health services, and healthcare.”
The Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana and Cornerstone also hosted a fundraiser reception to honor the Chicago American Indian Community Collaborative on Wednesday.
The collaborative helped develop and push forward two bills that were passed last year: honoring cultural and religious identity of Indigenous students in regard to the school dress code policy and the identification, examination and repatriation of Native American remains.
The convention officially ends Thursday.
This story was published as part of the 2024 Native Vote Desk collaboration between ICT, Source New Mexico, States Newsroom, Native News Online, Native America Calling, National Native News, and Koahnic Broadcast Corporation.
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