Siletz news /, October 01, 2017, Page 13, Image 13

Native and immigrant leaders forge new alliances to support each other
WASHINGTON – The National Con-
gress of American Indians (NCAI) and
Define American (DA) hosted their first
event together, FIRST AMERICANS and
NEW AMERICANS: Forging Shared Nar-
ratives Around Culture, Identity and Citizen-
ship, on Sept. 14-15 at the John F. Kennedy
Center for Performing Arts in Washington.
The two-day, forward-looking conven-
ing of nationally recognized Native nation
and immigrant leaders gave participants
the opportunity to come together and
engage in a historic national conversation
about what it means to be an “American”
and how First Americans and New Ameri-
cans can reshape the “American” identity
to include the vibrant histories and present
contributions of these communities.
histories, stories and songs as the
wellspring of our cultural identities.
NCAI and DA will work collabora-
tively to protect, advance and raise up
these foundational components of
our cultural identities through close
consultation with the communities
we represent and serve.
The Farm Bill
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The following commitments – among
many others – were made at the convening:
The majority of Americans could not
be fed without the contributions of
First Americans and New Americans
to this country’s food systems. NCAI,
DA and their allies will work closely
to ensure that the Farm Bill currently
before Congress adequately addresses
the concerns and priorities of Native
nations and the immigrant community.
The Border Wall
Education about First Americans
and New Americans
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At the root of the destructive laws and
policies that negatively impact Native
and immigrant communities is a pro-
found ignorance about – or misunder-
standing of – these communities by
society at large, a byproduct of educa-
tional systems that inaccurately teach
(or fail to teach at all) about the rich
histories of our communities and the
invaluable contributions they have long
made to American life. In this vein,
our communities will work together to
develop and implement stronger cur-
ricula that fairly and fully conveys the
truth about these communities.
There’s a shared concern over pre-
serving our respective languages,
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We will form stronger alliances aimed
at ensuring that the shared concerns
of Native nations and the immigrant
community are addressed in the federal
government’s decision-making process
regarding whether and how to build a
physical wall along the U.S.-Mexico
border, and that construction of said
wall does not take place without the
consent of affected Native nations.
“This convening marked the start of
an historic conversation – one meant not
only to build alliances between communi-
ties, but to fundamentally change the way
we talk about immigration in the United
States. Purposefully held at the Kennedy
Center in acknowledgement of JFK’s role
in shaping history for our communities,
this frank conversation was grounded in
the painful parts of history, which are
often ignored, un-discussed or glossed
over. When we talk about immigration, the
two communities often left out of the con-
versation are Native Americans and immi-
grants themselves. This convening set out
to change that,” stated Jose Antonio Var-
gas, Define American founder and CEO.
“Through the power of shared stories, we
challenged each other and the media to be
more inclusive of both Native American
and immigrant experiences across a wide
spectrum of topics, including identity and
race, economic and environmental justice,
food systems and food sovereignty, and
citizenship and human rights. Coming out
of this first-of-its-kind convening between
First Americans and New Americans, we
are united in our willingness to continue
to build relationships and have made
important commitments to one another as
leaders around shared issues of common
concern. Now the real work begins.”
“FIRST AMERICANS and NEW
AMERICANS was about a beginning – a
collective beginning. A beginning focused
on finding common ground and using it
as a springboard to develop shared solu-
tions to our shared challenges,” said Brian
Cladoosby, NCAI president. “A beginning
that seeks to jointly forge and advance new
narratives that replace the false narratives
that drive the destructive laws and policies
that harm our communities and hold us
back. A beginning that understands that we
amplify our voice and our power when we
work together, when we speak and act as
one about what we collectively care about.”
DA and NCAI encourage Native
nation leaders, immigrant leaders, allied
organizations and the media to join this
emerging conversation between Indian
Country and the immigrant community as
they work to develop and implement shared
solutions that create more vibrant futures
for First Americans and New Americans.
Contact NCAIpress@ncai.org or
Noelle@defineamerican.com with any
questions.
About NCAI
Founded in 1944, the National Con-
gress of American Indians is the oldest,
largest and most representative American
Indian and Alaska Native organization in
the country.
NCAI advocates on behalf of Tribal
governments and communities, promoting
strong Tribal-federal government-to-gov-
ernment policies and promoting a better
understanding among the general public
regarding American Indian and Alaska
Native governments, people and rights.
For more information, visit ncai.org.
About Define American
Define American is a nonprofit media
and culture organization that creates origi-
nal content, curates stories and events, and
challenges media in order to shift the cul-
tural conversation about immigrants, iden-
tity and citizenship in a changing America.
Co-founded by Pulitzer Prize-winning
journalist Jose Antonio Vargas, Define
American is dedicated to increasing the
visibility of undocumented immigrants
and their contributions to America.
Visit defineamerican.com to learn more.
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INDIGENOUS
PEOPLES DAY
CELEBRATION
& GATHERING
October 2017
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