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Fawn Sharp has served as president of the National Congress of American Indians and president of the Quinault Indian Nation, while also working to forge solutions to the climate change crisis. She told ICT’s Mark Trahant that she’ll be stepping back from tribal leadership to devote more time to her climate.

March is Women’s History Month. To celebrate the women who have made a difference in our lives, and the lives of their Native nations, here’s an encore presentation of an interview from our archives. Leilehua Lanzilotti is pushing the boundaries of storytelling through opera. Senior producer Shirley Sneve has this interview.

U.S. Fellowships grant $50,000 in unrestricted awards to recognize excellence across the country. This year, many Indigenous people from across turtle were honored. ICT’s Pacey Smith-Garcia has this interview with fellowship winner Cristobal Martinez.

  • Last week, six U.S. senators sent a letter to Attorney General-Merrick Garland urging for the compassionate release of Native American activist Leonard Peltier. who has been in prison for the last 49 years. Peltier was convicted in 1977 of murdering two FBI agents on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota.
  • A new program will guarantee income for Black and Native American families who are in need. Families in the California county of Sacramento are now guaranteed a basic income of $7,250 a month. The pilot program was unanimously approved by the county’s board of supervisors and was created in an effort to assist families experiencing poverty.
  • An Indigenous land advocate and leader from Columbia was assassinated. Carmelina Yule Paví was killed by rebels of the Estado Mayor Central. Paví’s granddaughter attempted to hide her during the attack but was unsuccessful. The land defender’s death sparked political unrest, causing Columbian President Gustavo Petro to revoke peace agreements with the rebel group.
  • The Indigenous Screen Office has received permanent federal funding for its operations in Canada Launched in 2017, funding for the organization was set to expire in April of this year, but a petition to the government signed by hundreds of people advocated for federal support. It is the only Indigenous-led audio and visual institution in Canada that supports First Nations, Métis and Inuit storytellers.
  • The Environmental Protection Agency announced last week the comprehensive ban of chrysotile asbestos. The ban will slowly go into effect for some products in the next six months and others were given a transitional period of 15 years. A partial ban was enacted decades ago but the fibers are still being used today in chlorine bleach, brake products and water purification processes.

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.

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

Stewart Huntington is a producer for the ICT Newscast. Email: stewart@ictnews.org.

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.

Ebonye Delaney is the Executive Producer for the ICT Newscast. Email: ebonye@ictnews.org

Mark Trahant, Shoshone-Bannock, is ICT editor-at-large Email: marktrahant@ictnews.org