The Native American Journalists Association, also known as NAJA, was created in 1983. To celebrate, hundreds of NAJA members will soon travel to Winnipeg, Canada for the organization’s annual conference. NAJA’s Associate Director is Francine Compton.

Social and environmental justice takes many forms, and food access in rural places is at the heart of a healthy community. Bleu Adams is a chef and entrepreneur and founder of the Black Lamb Group. She’s a member of the American Culinary Corps, and serves as the director of IndigeHub.

It is officially called a state work period, when Congress takes a vacation to go home to attend state fairs and get back in touch with constituents. This year, it may not be much of a break with a mountain of “must-do items” still on the desk. John Tahsuda, who is a principal with Navigators Global, joins us.

  • A new quarter is set to be issued in 2024 honoring Dakota writer, educator and political activist Zitkala Sa. The coin will be minted as part of the U.S. Treasury’s American Women Quarters Program.
  • The Yankton Dakota woman was recently the topic of an operatic film written, composed, and sung by an all-Indigenous team. Some of the cast and crew members of “My Spirit Sings” recently joined a community in South Dakota for a screening of the movie.
  • The Chemawa Indian School in Oregon failed to account for millions of taxpayer dollars, and hundreds of thousands placed in Native student accounts, according to a report by the Department of the Interior.
  • The University of Alaska Anchorage partnered with the Department of the Interior in mid-July to sign an agreement that will increase employment opportunities for Alaska Native students in the STEM field. Students from the university’s Alaska Native and Science Engineering Program met with Interior Secretary Deb Haaland to finalize the partnership.

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.

R. Vincent Moniz, Jr., NuÉta, is the senior producer of the award winning ICT Newscast. Have a great story? Pitch it to vincent@ictnews.org.

McKenzie Allen-Charmley, Dena’ina Athabascan, is a producer of 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.

ICT is a nonprofit news organization. Will you support our work? All of our content is free. There are no subscriptions or costs. And we have hired more Native journalists in the past year than any news organization ─ and with your help we will continue to grow and create career paths for our people. Support ICT for as little as $10.