Vote counting for the 2020 Election continues in several key states today, with former Vice President Joe Biden pulling ahead in Pennsylvania and Georgia as of this writing. While the Presidential Election remains too close to call, the elections for both of Georgia’s Senate seats are projected to go to runoffs in early January.
During their coverage of the 2020 Election results, CNN used the term “Something Else” to describe voters in exit polls who did not identify as “White, Latinx, Black, or Asian,” drawing criticism from Native people and organizations across the country. Yesterday, the Native American Journalists Association issued a statement demanding that CNN apologize, saying that “Native nations have had a government-to-government relationship with the United States since the country’s earliest days. To refer to Indigenous voters as ‘something else’ fails to recognize the sovereignty and political classification of Native voters.” Meanwhile, the Memes on social media have taken over our feeds entirely.
The State of Alaska filed a brief yesterday supporting Alaska Native Corporations in an ongoing COVID-19 lawsuit currently pending before the Supreme Court. The State argues that the Corporations should be treated as “Indian tribes,” allowing them to receive shares of the $8 billion in COVID-19 relief funds Congress established for tribal nations.
Following the United States’ formally withdrawing from the Paris Climate Agreement earlier this week, the National Congress of American Indians issued a statement condemning the decision and reaffirming tribal nation’s commitment to the Paris Agreement.
Lana Del Rey recently revealed that she donated an advance payment of $350,000 from her latest book to the Dig Deep Water project, aimed at providing clean water to the most vulnerable communities in the Navajo Nation.
Keep reading for a full news update.
2020 Elections:
Fight For Senate Majority Boils Down To Georgia
The Hill, Jordain Carney, November 6
Control of the Senate is boiling down to Georgia, likely dragging the fight for the majority out until early January.
NAJA Demands CNN Apologize For Using “Something Else” Label
Native News Online, November 5
The Native American Journalists Association issued a statement demanding that CNN apologize for its use of “something else” during its live election coverage to describe voters who are “not white, Latinx, Black or Asian.” NAJA added that it is willing to meet with CNN’s senior editorial staff to discuss how the major media network can improve its coverage of Indian Country.
‘Something Else’ May Make All The Difference This Election
Indian Country Today, Mary Annette Pember, November 5
CNN listed voter ethnicities as White, Black, Latino and Asian; Native people, however, were lumped into a catch-all classification with which they have become all too familiar. As the National Congress of American Indians has noted, lack of data often renders Native people invisible to media and governmental agencies, thus relegating us to an “asterisk Nation” rather than a data point.
Record-Breaking Number Of Native Americans Elected To Congress
The Hill, Joseph Guzman, November 5
A Record-breaking Number Of Native Americans Will Serve In The U.S. House Of Representatives Following An Election Night That Brought Many Historic Firsts For Diversity. The 117th Congress Will Include Six Native American House Candidates After Four Won Reelection And Two Native American Newcomers Were Elected In New Mexico And Hawaii.
New Mexico Becomes First State To Elect All Women Of Color To House Delegation
The Hill, Jordan Williams, November 4
New Mexico became the first state to elect all women of color to its House delegation with the three women announced as winning their districts by early Wednesday morning.
CARES Act:
State Of Alaska Backs Native Corporations In COVID-19 Dispute
Indianz.com, Acee Agoyo, November 5
The state of Alaska is siding with Native corporations over tribal governments in a closely-watched COVID-19 case pending before the U.S. Supreme Court. In a brief filed on Wednesday, the state admits that Alaska Native corporations are not “sovereign entities”. And unlike Indian nations, the corporate entities lack a “government-to-government relationship” with the United States, the Alaska attorney general’s office acknowledges.
Other:
Great Smoky Mountains Honors All 573 Tribal Nations For Native American Heritage Month
WBIR, November 5
Native American Heritage Month is in November, and officials with Great Smoky Mountains National Park are honoring all 573 sovereign tribal nations in the U.S. A post on twitter said that the park sits on traditional lands of the Tsalagi, commonly known as the Cherokee.
NCAI Condemns Formal Withdrawal By The United States From The Paris Agreement; Reaffirms Tribal Nations’ Commitment To The Accord
National Congress of American Indians, November 4
The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) condemns the United States’ decision today to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement. The Paris Agreement – a global accord designed to reduce the risks and impacts of climate change – features roughly 200 countries as signatories; the United States today becomes the first country to formally withdraw from it. In response, NCAI, the largest and oldest national organization comprised of American Indian and Alaska Native tribal governments and their citizens, reaffirms its formal commitment to support the Paris Agreement.
Lana Del Rey Donates $350,000 To Provide Navajo Nation With Clean Water
NME, Nick Reilly, November 4
Lana Del Rey has revealed that she donated an advance payment from her latest book to provide clean water for some of the most vulnerable communities of America’s Navajo Nation.
In an Instagram post, Del Rey revealed how the payment, which she received for the book Violet Bent Backwards Over The Grass, has been donated to the Dig Deep Water project.