In Native America, the National COVID-19 emergency has hit us hard
The COVID-19 rescue plan addresses devastating economic impacts of the pandemic In Indian Country
Ernest L. Stevens, Jr.
Chairman, National Indian Gaming Association

In Native America, the National COVID-19 public health emergency has hit us hard.
American Indian and Alaska Native people died in connection with COVID-19 at nearly twice the rate of non-Indian people in a sample of 14 states, according to a new study published by the Centers For Disease Control.
For Indian nations and tribes, the loss of our elders is a family and community tragedy because tribal elders have unique knowledge of Native histories, traditions, ceremonies and languages. Yet, the greatest disparities in the COVID-19 mortality rate are among parents and grandparents ages 20—49 years-old. COVID-19 is striking at the heart of our young Native American communities.
Nationwide, more than 28.5 million people have contracted the virus and more than 515,000 people have died from COVID-19.
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Lakota rancher to head Farm Service Agency
Zach Ducheneaux is among a growing list of Indigenous people named to key positions by the Biden administration
Dianna Hunt INDIAN COUNTRY TODAY / MAR 3, 2021

A South Dakota rancher and former head of the Intertribal Agriculture Council has been tapped as the first Indigenous person to lead the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Services Agency.
Zach Ducheneaux, Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, joins more than a half-dozen Native people appointed by President Joe Biden’s administration for top government positions.
Ducheneaux and his family raise cattle and horses on the DX Ranch on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation in north-central South Dakota.
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House OKs bill to ban mining around Grand Canyon
That threat is particularly concerning to members of the Havasupai tribe, whose ancestral home is in the canyon
Haleigh Kochanski / Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – The House voted to permanently ban new mining claims on more than 1 million acres around Grand Canyon National Park, with supporters calling protection of the landmark canyon a “moral issue.”
The bill would make permanent a current mining moratorium that is scheduled to run through 2032. Supporters said a permanent ban is needed because the Grand Canyon is too valuable to risk possible damage from future mining.
“Protecting our environment is not a matter of choice or political preference,” said Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Arizona, in a statement from his office Feb. 26, the same day of the vote. “It’s the only path forward for our country and our way of life.”
Grijalva, the lead sponsor of the canyon bill, said earlier this month that “the Grand Canyon should be the least controversial” place on the planet to consider protecting from mining.
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President Biden must confirm climate crisis affecting Indigenous communities
Indigenous communities are among those impacted most immediately and most severely
Stephanie BadSoldier Snow, Meskwaki and Ho-Chunk
Shaina Oliver, Navajo Nation (Dine’) / Moms Clean Air Force
ICT OPINION / MAR 4, 2021

Indigenous communities are among those impacted most immediately and most severely by the climate crisis. Recently, we cheered as President Joe Biden issued a roster of climate-related executive orders, establishing directives for environmental justice and putting a pause on all oil and gas leasing on public lands.
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Masks and Texas: