FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: NOVEMBER 19, 2020
Nationwide – The Biden administration transition team is in the process of vetting Rep. Deb Haaland (D-N.M.) for the Secretary of the Department of the Interior. If appointed by President-elect Biden, Haaland’s nomination would be historic, making her the first Indigenous Cabinet secretary. She would oversee an agency with vast responsibility over tribal issues and public lands. NDN Collective — an Indigenous-led organization dedicated to building Indigenous power through organizing, activism, philanthropy, grantmaking, capacity-building, and narrative change — urges the Biden administration to tap Haaland for this appointment. Today, the organization’s leadership issued the following statement:
As Secretary of the Department of the Interior, Rep. Deb Haaland would have the power to stand up to the corporations who have been influencing the Department for generations and causing the destruction of Indigenous lands,” said Nick Tilsen, President and CEO of NDN Collective. “We are excited by the potential of Haaland’s appointment and look forward to having a representative who has insight into Indigenous issues and priorities, so Land Back organizers can uplift our policy solutions and help fuel systematic change that benefits all people and the planet.
We wholeheartedly support the historic nomination of Rep. Deb Haaland. Representation means progress, and it is important to see people in these roles that look like us, share our lived experience, and who honor Indigenous self-determination. Even more importantly, it is essential that progress also translates into power,” said Korina Barry, NDN Action Managing Director. “Our movement has been hurt by the Trump administration and its policies, and we want to ensure our agenda is heard by the new administration. We expect to see her leadership on issues that are important to us, such as returning land back to our people, combating the climate crisis, and tackling the epidemic of missing and murdered Indigenous women. We look forward to her bringing a breadth of experience to this appointment by elevating these issues to the forefront of our national discourse.
###
About the NDN Collective:
Founded in 2018, the NDN Collective is an Indigenous-led organization dedicated to building Indigenous power. Through organizing, activism, philanthropy, grantmaking, capacity-building, and narrative change, we are creating sustainable solutions on Indigenous terms.
