Greetings, relatives.
A lot of news out there. Thanks for stopping by ICT’s digital platform.
Each day we do our best to gather the latest news for you.
Okay, here’s what you need to know today:
Diné musician and activist Jeneda Benally wanted something special for her birthday last year, so she went to the local animal shelter and asked for the “oldest and most unadoptable dog.”
That’s how Mr. Happy Face joined her family at their spacious ranch in Flagstaff, Arizona, along with the horses, sheep, rams, ducks and her mother’s Chihuahua.
“The staff prepared me for what I was about to see as they brought out this 17 year-old, hairless, toothless, hobbling dog,” she told the Today Show on NBC on Monday, June 27. READ MORE – Sandra Hale Schulman, Special to ICT
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“I kind of felt like I was walking on air.”
After serving nearly 18 years in prison for a murder he did not commit, Danny Wilber finally walked out a free man on Dec. 22.
The Oneida Nation of Wisconsin citizen maintained his innocence through the years and said it was surreal when he was finally exonerated.
“Just being able to just move around and just taking that weight off my shoulders, I just felt relieved,” Wilber said recently on the ‘ICT Newscast with Aliyah Chavez.’ “I felt like I can finally breathe.” READ MORE– Kolby KickingWoman, ICT
The Navajo Nation Veterans Administration was formally recognized by the head of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for being the first tribal nation program to receive accreditation to help veterans submit federal benefits claims directly to the VA.
VA Secretary Denis McDonough recognized the tribal government program’s status during a visit to Gallup on June 28, the Farmington Daily Times reported.
“We’ve been negotiating this with President Nez and his team. They are the first tribe to take up this new authority,” McDonough said. “I’m thrilled that we can announce that today and as importantly, put it into action.” READ MORE – Noel Lyn Smith, Farmington Daily News
The Shinnecock Nation in what is now known as New York, never relinquished the rights to use the oceans and beaches they historically occupied. Localities around the U.S. have taken actions to ensure tribal members have access to lands they once occupied alone, including in Rhode Island and Maine. Long Island Progressive Coalition is urging the town of Southampton Village to follow suit.
Members of the Shinnecock Nation and their allies will rally at Cooper’s Beach in Southampton on Saturday to demand that the Southampton Village Board of Trustees give tribal citizens free beach access. Tribal citizens will rally at 12 p.m. local time at 268 Meadow Lane.
After the rally, protestors will join a march down to “Billionaire Lane.” Notable residents include David Koch, Calvin Klein and Gerald Ford. The march, which will be similar to the one that took place in 2020, is being organized by several grassroots organizations from New York City and Long Island that are bussing activists out to the Hamptons to send a message to the rich that it’s time for them to pay up for destroying the environment and exploiting working-class people in New York and across the globe. – ICT
Diné musician and activist Jeneda Benally wanted something special for her birthday last year. And now, Mr. Happy Face is a star! He was named the World’s Ugliest Dog.
Salt-River Pima Indian drag queen Pyra has been named the Indigenous Fire Queen of Phoenix. She has been performing for over three years in Arizona.
ICT has hired Jason Begay as a national editor and coach. Begay is a veteran journalist and long-time educator. Most recently he’s been the director of Native American Journalism Projects at the University of Montana School of Journalism. READ MORE – ICT
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- GLOBAL INDIGENOUS: Health, governance and discrimination over facial tattoos: Coverage around the world on Indigenous issues for the week ending July 3, 2022.
- Canada’s national chief wins vote to overturn suspension: First woman to lead the Assembly of First Nations says it’s time to ‘take back this organization’.
- Arctic people at risk: On the Wednesday edition of the ICT Newscast, a tribal nation has donated $9 million to support the California Indian Nations College. And, toxic pollutants endanger subsistence in Alaska.
- A new Google Doodle honors the history-making Native American comedian Charlie Hill
- FOX 13 Investigates: Video raises questions about Utah Co. Attorney’s adoption of Native American child
We want your tips, but we also want your feedback. What should we be covering that we’re not? What are we getting wrong? Please let us know. dalton@ictnews.org.
