Guest Essay

Many people don’t know that Native Americans didn’t have the right to vote in federal elections until we were granted U.S. citizenship in 1924 and that it wasn’t until the 1960s that the last state granted us the right to vote in state elections.

On behalf of the Navajo Nation Office of the President and Vice President, we thank all Navajo veterans for their service to our country.

If we wait on Window Rock to change the Navajo government system, it probably won’t happen.

Recently, I had the privilege of attending the 25th anniversary celebration of the First Peoples Fund organization event named, “We, The Peoples Before,” which consisted of a three-day event, June 30 to July 2, at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

So how damaging was federal boarding school or residential school for you?