Indigenous leaders, delegates gather at the Democratic National Convention

By Pauly Denetclaw, ICT

Every four years, the Democratic National Convention roars to life with impassioned speeches, confetti, and a cheering crowd. The fervor in the room has been described as akin to a stadium concert with adoring fans.

Tribal leaders, Native Vote organizations, and over 100 Indigenous party delegates from across the country will be in attendance at this year's convention in Chicago. Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, White Earth Nation, will be gaveling the convention in on Monday night when President Joe Biden will do his speech, and gavel out the convention shortly after the acceptance speech on Thursday night, according to ICT regular contributor Holly Cook Macarro, Red Lake Nation.

It still hasn’t been announced who will do the land acknowledgement, or if there will be any other Indigenous speakers during the main programming of the four-day convention that starts on Monday, Aug. 19. The DNC comes roughly a month after the Republican National Convention took place in Wisconsin and where former President Donald Trump accepted the GOP nomination.

“I would explain to the voter that it's very much a big networking convention — conference style — a gathering of political folks,” Jaynie Parrish, executive for Arizona Native Vote, told ICT. “It could be anyone — from regular voters, to donors, to business people, elected officials — just a wide gamut of folks that belong to a particular party, whether that be the Democratic or Republican Party.”

During an Arizona rally, Vice President Kamala Harris pledged her support for tribal sovereignty and self-determination. Cook Macarro predicts that she may do this again in her acceptance speech or at the very least mention tribal nations.

“I think the word self-determination is also very important, along with sovereignty, because it recognizes the inherent decision making power, and the fact that we know what's best for our own communities,” Cook Macarro said.

Over 4,000 party delegates come together to officially vote for a party nominee. Usually the delegates are already committed to a specific presidential candidate that’s decided by a presidential preference, or primary vote, depending on the state.

“There's a lot of advocating and lobbying efforts around policies and potential business collaborations,” Parrish, Diné, said.

This year is shockingly different. Every delegate is free to vote their conscience after Biden was pressured to drop his bid for reelection. Many of the delegates have already publicly endorsed Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

One of those delegates is Debbie Nez-Manuel.

Nez-Manuel, Diné, has always been engaged with her local community, whether she was reporting the news for her elementary school in Ganado, Arizona, or running for student council at Ganado Intermediate School. It was a calling she couldn’t explain. Nez-Manuel just knew she needed to keep people moving forward, toward the future.

“People always say, ‘Debbie is always in charge. Where does this come from?’” Nez-Manuel told ICT. “I’d say, ‘I used to be hall monitor. You better listen.’ And we laugh.”

In 2020, she threw her hat in the race to be elected a voting delegate for the Arizona Democratic Party. She was still unclear about all the responsibilities being a delegate meant but that didn’t stop her.

She won the election after receiving a standing ovation for her candidate speech.

She was elected during the COVID-19 pandemic, so this will be her first in-person convention. Nez-Manuel is a member of the Native American and Women Caucus. She was also elected as the vice president of the Western Region.

She wears many hats but one common thread remains.

“I always hold our parties accountable to ask, when was the last time you went to the tribes to sit with them? When was the last time you talked with them? When was the last time you spent time there, not just to go and wave and kiss babies or to hug a sheep?” Nez-Manuel said with a laugh.

Nez-Manuel has endorsed Harris and Walz as the party nominees.

“I completely endorse her, Auntie Harris,” she said.

She hopes that Harris’ platform will include an emphasis on public safety for Indigenous nations. Nez-Manuel has experienced firsthand the impact of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women epidemic. When Nez-Manuel was just three years old, her own mother went missing and was later found murdered. Her mother’s killer was never found.

“My challenge to our candidate is to focus on public safety in Indian country. It's really critical,” she said.

The Native American Caucus will have two meetings on Monday and Wednesday from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. central time. The livestream will be available here.

“I expect this year that there's potential for some very, very interesting dialog at the (Native American Caucus), because of these three groups that make up the Native American delegation, let's say overall, to the convention… I'm referring to Gaza and our relatives in Palestine,” Cook Macarro said.

Many Indigenous people across what is now the United States used their social media platforms or went to peaceful protests to stand in solidarity with Palestinians who have endured a monthslong war. The latest Israel-Hamas war began on Oct. 7, 2023, when a militant group called Hamas launched an attack on Israel that resulted in the death of over 1,200 Israeli citizens. Over 40,000 Palestinians have died since the beginning of the war, according to Palestinian health authorities.

One of the largest Indigenous nonprofits in the country, NDN Collective, will be participating in a panel that coincides with the convention called, “StopCopCities: Domestic Warfare and Decolonization” on Aug. 20 at 1 p.m. CT.

“If the Democratic Party is serious about maintaining power, they must platform issues that will actually mobilize their base – like ending the genocide of Palestinian people, land back for Indigenous Peoples, Black reparations, and climate solutions rooted in Indigenous rights, knowledge systems and practices,” said Janene Yazzie, director of policy and advocacy at NDN Collective, in a press release.

There are planned protests that will be outside the convention which has drawn fears of violence.

In 1968, Chicago hosted the convention for the first time. Tensions were high because of the Vietnam War and civil rights movement happening at the time. Protests outside the ‘68 convention ended in a violent clash between police officers and demonstrators.

“This election is happening on the stolen lands of Indigenous people, yet the efforts to erase us and violate our rights are persistent. The Democrats do not automatically get our vote we must dissent in the time of a genocide – we’ve only ever fueled real change for our communities by taking direct action and disrupting the status quo,” Nick Tilsen, president and CEO of NDN Collective, said in a press release. “Anti-protest laws are being passed by Democratic governments at all levels in an attempt to silence our voices – so we are looking to DNC delegates to platform freedom of speech and the right to organize.”

In 2023, Alaska Rep. Mary Peltola, who will not be in attendance at the convention and has not endorsed Harris, voted in favor of a bill that supported Israel’s right to defend itself. Kansas Rep. Sharice Davids has supported a ceasefire. Both Peltola and Davids are Democrats.

The Israel-Hamas war has caused serious tension within the Democratic Party and will be a hot topic issue at this year’s convention.

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