Call to Action: A Native American to head the Department of the Interior?

If you have any desire to see either Native Americans' voices amplified, or oil companies' voices minimized, or both, and you are a US citizen, now is a great time to send a message to your US Senators asking them to confirm Rep. Deb Haaland as Secretary of the Interior. The Department of the Interior is the department in charge of things like energy and environmental policy, and it's ALSO the department of which the Bureau of Indian Affairs is part. Having an Indigenous woman in charge of that department would be huge. Here's what the Lakota Law Project has to say about it:

Tomorrow is a huge day for Indian Country. At 9:30 a.m. EST, the United States Senate will begin deliberations on whether to confirm Indiegnous congresswoman Deb Haaland, President Biden’s nominee for Secretary of the Interior. Predictably and unfortunately, as a strong advocate for the environment and the first Native person nominated for a Cabinet-level position, she faces strong opposition from conservative senators who fear she’ll prioritize the protection of public lands over the oil companies who line their pockets at our expense.

That’s why it’s critical — right now — that we continue putting all the pressure we can on every U.S. senator to confirm her nomination. Please use this link and let your senators know it’s high time to put a highly qualified Native woman at the helm of the Interior Department. It’s time to protect sacred lands and water and make sure the federal government’s relationships with tribal governments are overseen by one who deeply understands all the issues we face.

The link leads you to a page with a widget to email your senators. It only takes a few minutes--please take this opportunity to push for things to keep moving in the right direction!