Whoa-Bama

A month into the Obama Administration, and there are now officially some problems.

Okay, okay. Yeah, there were problems before, and it was never going to be perfect. But this one quite alarmed me from Indianz.com:

Obama administration to fight Indian preference case

If you don't know, Indian preference (at least this case) is saying that the first try at jobs that "directly and primarily" relate to Native programs - mostly in the Bureau of Indian Affairs - go to qualified Native people first. The Obama administration is appealing the court decision of last year to lift the restrictions of the Bush policy, opening up more positions to Indian (we call it Native) preference. Regarding the Bush/Reagan policy that was overturned:

In court papers, the union said only 17 out of 550 positions at the agency were covered by Indian preference under the restrictive policy.

Many of the top positions in for the BIA, and other Native agencies, were filled by non-Native people.

I know preference is a hot-button issue for some, and it can easily be likened to affirmative action. There are similarities, but some of the differences are that Native preference is regarding only jobs that serve Native people, and you do HAVE to be qualified. I'm an hesitant advocate for Native preferance, though I've certainly disagreed with some of its outcomes.

The idea that a majority of non-Natives should be directly in charge of the decisions of Indian country is frustrating, though. As Bob Poe, quite intelligently, I think, reminded us in the Alaska Dispatch, here in Alaska, the majority of people working for Native corporations (nearly all of which have Native preference) are not Native. Even the programs that entirely (federally mandated) serve Native people, the majority of workers are not Native.

I do think Obama (and his administration) need to rethink fighting this right out of the gate, especially since he is a proponent of affirmative action in the right context (merit based). Why is one of the first fights going to be about this anyways? The specifics of the appeal aren't out yet, and I am VERY interested to see this justification.

Obama, Palin, and other Native news

For as much as I probably won't even know who the guy or gal is, I've been biting (proverbial, at least) nails to find out who Barack Obama will appoint as his senior Native American policy advisor.

After a tip from the overworked Dennis Zaki, I was happy to discover Michelle Obama confirming that the appointment will take place soon - in the next few weeks.

From RezNet:

Obama to name top advisor on Indian issues

and from Indian Country Today, the announcement of another historic appointment:

Standing Rock Sioux member gets key White House post

The White House announced Feb. 6 that Jodi Archambault Gillette has been named as one of three deputy associate directors of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs. It is a historic appointment, as no other American Indian is believed to have ever held the position.

I was also appalled that I had neglected to read Indian Country Today for some time, my favorite Native news site. I found lots of interesting nuggets, including one bright, shiny one about Palin:

Palin candidacy shone light on Alaska Native issues

I was, at first, ready to take umbrage against the inference here. WTF? Palin didn't shine nuttin' on nobody but herself, especially not Native people! But then I READ the article. It helps sometimes.

It goes over the sort of talking points Palin had, but then gets into the real issue - Palin never addressed "Native issues" in the remotest sense of the phrase, excepting the negative impact she had on subsistence issues. The front the campaign wanted to show about how "forward" they were on Native issues was paper thin:

But soon came the other side of the story. ICT reported in mid-September that Democratic Natives in the state were raising allegations that Palin’s leadership has been harmful to Alaska Native subsistence fishing and hunting, tribal sovereignty and Alaska Native languages.

I wish the article was about ten times longer, to really get into it, but it presented a quick scope of just how much of the talk is... well, talk.

Palin never substantially addressed the issues in the press, and, in the end, even some former American Indian supporters of Palin were not swayed by arguments that she is pro-Alaska Native.

Uh, yeah.

Although I think, no matter the numbers, an executive should pay attention to everyone on their watch, I might remind you of a few numbers. America is roughly 1% Native American/Alaska Native, and Obama is doing pretty good in his first few weeks of office. Alaska is 20% Alaska Native, and in over 2 years its been cold shoulder after cold shoulder.

Another bit about Obama and his inaugural address.

"Words matter"

Let me be clear on this one - I do NOT agree with the arguments raised by the statement Obama made in his inaugural address, that he was somehow referencing Native tribal lines when he was talking about tribal lines coming down. I also do not subscribe to statements such as:

“Indigenous populations should be offended by this, just as we should be offended by the celebration of American patriotism exhibited during the inaugural festivities, and just as we should be offended by his recent denial of America as a colonial empire.”

Bleh. No, don't agree at all. I understand the arguments, but if I could have, I would have been in D.C. on Feb. 20, freezing my butt off, waving my American flag proudly. I was a little disappointed he didn't mention Native Americans again in his address, but (unless I'm wrong?) he didn't really address race. He addressed FAITH when he talked about Christians and Muslims, etc., but I don't know that race or nationality (other than the obvious) was addressed. I was pretty please with his earlier mentions of Native Americans, such as election night. I also think they're reading something into the mention/nonmention that's a little out there.

ICT also had an opinion piece addressing the inclusion of $2.8 billion for tribes. Woohoo! I think the author worded it well:

I have to admit I didn’t believe federal legislators would seriously consider including tribes in the bailout package, but the fact that they have speaks to the sea of change that has occurred in American politics.

This is new territory for Native people, a land of opportunity we had all but given up on as myth.

Like a freshly sober alcoholic who’s lived too long devoid of hope, I’m still waiting for the rug to be pulled out from under me. But I’m fighting to suspend my disbelief and have some faith that change is on the horizon.

Go us!

It really does feel like this - anything is possible.

And speaking of all that "hope" and "change" jazz, I hope you're keeping up on the updates about Emmonak and Dennis Zaki's footage that's been looping through CNN, even the CNN front page, where it was the most popular story of the day! I couldn't word it better than Mudflat's post, so I'm just going to direct you there, and leave a little byte of hers (okay, so it's a LONG byte, but it's GOOD!):

But this state has proven that we can rally without the help of our Chief Executive. Alaska is not defined by the person sitting at the helm, alone. Alaska and its people have many friends inside and outside of the state who use the tools they have, to do what they can. Cold hungry children do not care about political parties, or whether it will look like someone is promoting government handouts which might hurt their conservative image on the 2012 campaign trail. They are just cold and hungry. And not all bloggers are sitting in their parents basements in pajamas making up stories. Some of them have done more to help those cold hungry children than their governor.

I am glad that most of the bloggers who have been championing this cause are
progressive. And I’m glad Rep. Jay Ramras is a conservative. I’m glad that churches are getting involved. I’m glad that those without religious affiliation are getting involved. This is what bipartisanship looks like. This is our ‘team of rivals’. This is what happens when people stop thinking about politics and start thinking about people.

Indian Country Today endorses Obama

My favorite Native American/American Indian (Lower 48 Native anyways) news source, Indian Country Today, has officially endorsed Barack Obama for president!

Obama has had a wealth of endorsements from so many Native people and Native organizations, that it might not be surprising, but I'm still glad they did it. Indian Country Today makes a point in the article to point out that McCain has, in the past, supported Native issues, but has not decided to make Native people an important part of his plans for the next four years.

In contrast, they praise Obama as having "redefined American politics:"

"American Indian voters, especially those who support Obama, seized their right to vote like never before and have embraced political participation as a new ethic. We are certain that Native voters will make a noticeable difference in the presidential race and in local ones as well... Throughout this long campaign, Obama did not just talk about Indian issues; he talked with Native peoples and brought their messages to the national stage."

What was a little surprising to me is that Indian Country Today came out strongly criticizing Palin's recent moves in the endorsement:

"Palin is both embraced and criticized by Native people. Much of the praise for Palin stems from her husband’s Yup’ik heritage and the inference that she will be sympathetic to Indian rights as vice president. Her detractors point to a record of opposing the subsistence rights of Alaska Natives. Palin’s involvement in a state ethics investigations and her willingness to exploit xenophobic conservative themes at campaign appearances add more reason for concern. If McCain’s selection of Palin was an attempt to attract Clinton supporters, it was an alarming miscalculation and an insult to that educated, open-minded voting bloc."

Some may not be surprised - it is, after all, quite true. But I didn't expect them to come out so strongly on the vice-presidential candidate. Such is the nature of Palin's inaction and stands against Native issues. It is also one of many in a line of endorsements (one of the more notable being Colin Powell) that come out strongly against Sarah Palin.

Mudflats recently posted on the Alaska Federation of Natives convention - the biggest Native gathering of the year in Alaska. She does a good job of giving a face to some of the attitudes behind Alaska Native people right now and Sarah Palin.

Obama himself actually wrote a nice piece in Indian Country Today, talking more about his Native American policies.

Another Indian Country Today Obama piece (they've had some good ones lately) about "real reason" Indians support Obama (don't know if I really agree with this one, but it is thought-provoking, nontheless.)

If you are wondering about more positions on the candidates and Native policies, check out my earlier posts for starters. There are opinions, but also a lot of links to their official statements (include to the side.)

In any case, the Native vote will be an important one in this election, and winds seem to be blowing in the direction of change.

Hope and a kick in the butt

This is a pretty great editorial from Indian Country Today, much for the fact that it lays out some of what needs to happen in the Native community. The author (Charles Trimble) puts into words the excitement and hope that so many Native people are feeling about the promise of an Obama presidency. Interestingly enough, much of it is through comparison with Bill Cosby, and his so-called "pound cake speech."


This is exactly the kind of thing I've talked about with some friends and family. The expectation for Native people to address the Native issues (and we are!) The article cites what Obama said in an address to mayors:

''Change,'' he said, ''comes from the bottom up, not from the top down.''

This attitude was actually very prevalent when I heard what the plans for the Obama Rural Alaska outreach were. It was impressive to hear plans for a campaign that didn't just involve getting this guy elected - it is set up to build a system in which communities are more involved, more organized for an Obama administration. A full-time gig, not just an effort for three electoral votes and we're done. Point being - Obama is not the one who is ultimately going to make the changes in our community. We are.

I don't exactly subscribe to all the words Cosby used, but it is striking that a man so known for finding the humor in situations says, "When you walk around the neighborhood and you see this stuff, that stuff’s not funny. These people are not funny anymore." And so much of it isn't.

Clearly, we need a little inspiration, a little kick in the butt, a little hope. It is still amazing to me that Obama is still attacked for talking about hope. Hope! My word, if we can agree on anything, can't we agree we need a little hope? There's no way to really know what these candidates will do once in office, but my money's on the one with a good plan and a little inspiration.

Green convention

An article from Indian Country Today about the Green efforts of the Democratic convention, and some of the Native effort going into it. I was pleased to see that there are several Native organizations really focused on the environment.

There's been a lot of to do in mainstream (and not-so-mainstream) media lately about the "greening" - a whole lot of very negative press (one from the Washington Post today). Some of it's for the "color" guidelines they're using for the food, others for the big push towards reducing the carbon footprint of the convention itself.

Are people seriously mocking the efforts of those who are actually trying to encourage environmental responsibility, water conservation and good health?

The Post article in particular mocked the "color" guidelines for the caterers - that they choose a "rainbow" for each dish. Maybe it's news to them, but I worked in early childhood for several years, and this is exactly how they try and teach both parents and children how to balance meals. I think we can all see that blasting the public with percentages and ounces ("chemistry", the article says) hasn't exactly worked out for a healthier America. As a memory device, the color guidelines are much easier to remember.

I'm excited to go to this convention, and am happy to see that the DNCC is devoting so much effort to both health and the environment. This is exactly how people should approach big change - lead by example.

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