Washington owes you respect. But this government owes you much more than that. This government owes you a fighting chance to build stronger communities and a brighter future -- starting with a more prosperous economic future on tribal lands.
For example. Banking and credit are the lifeblood of economic development, but it's about 12 miles on average from the center of tribal reservations to the nearest bank branch. Meanwhile, Native business owners get less start-up funding than other business owners.
And when it comes to crucial infrastructure, Native communities are far behind the rest of the country. Rural broadband access on tribal lands is worse than anywhere else in America, and more than a third of those living on tribal lands don't have high-speed broadband at all. Without it, Native communities are simply shut out of a 21st century economy.
It's time to make real investments in Indian country to build opportunity for generations to come.
And that's only part of the real change we can make.
... We can stop giant corporations from stealing your resources.
... We can expand federally protected land that is important to your tribes.
... We can protect historic monuments like Bears Ears from companies that see it as just another place to drill.
... We can take steps to stop violence against Native people -- including passing Savanna's Act to fight the plague of missing Native women and girls.
Most of all, we can fight to empower tribal governments and Native communities so you can take your rightful seat at the table when it comes to determining your own future.
And we can fight to make sure that all Americans who have been left out in our economy, left out in our democracy, and left out in our history can take their rightful seat at that table.
At a time when children are still drinking bottled water in Flint, when families are still desperate for help in Puerto Rico, and when tribal governments are still asking Washington to live up to its promises, we must demand a federal government that works for all of us -- because if we don't, we become a country that belongs to only a privileged few.
That's why, even when divide-and-conquer looks to some like smart politics, we must choose unity. We must be willing to join together in each other's fights. And at a time when bigotry threatens to overwhelm our discourse, we must amplify voices of basic human respect.
We must stand with everyone who has gotten the short end of the stick from Washington over and over and over. We must weave our voices together to make them strong. We must come together to write a new story, not just for Native Americans, but for all Americans.
A story of power and respect. A story in which everyone's voice can be heard.
A story worthy of those who came before us. A story our children and grandchildren will be proud to tell.
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
