What is Prez on the Rez?
This historic event, hosted by the INDN’s List Education Fund, will bring candidates seeking the Democratic nomination for President of the United States to an Indian Reservation to meet with hundreds of elected tribal leaders and hundreds more tribal citizens from all across America! We anticipate all the candidates attending, including: Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton Sen. Joseph Biden Sen. Christopher Dodd Sen. Barack Obama Sen. John Edwards New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson CONFIRMED Sen. Mike Gravel Rep. Dennis Kucinich All of the elected tribal leaders including Chiefs, Presidents, Chairpersons and their Councils, Legislatures, Congress and Business Committees from all federally recognized tribes will be invited to attend the forum. The forum will be followed by a private reception for all of the Presidential candidates and the elected tribal leaders. With limited exception, we know that all 46 American Indian Democrats serving in state legislatures from Washington to Pennsylvania will be at the forum and reception as well. The event will command national media attention from publications and broadcasters such as Indian Country Today, Native America Calling, the Native American Times, and the American Indian Report. The historic nature of the event and the gathering of the leading Democratic candidates on one Indian reservation in front of hundreds of tribal leaders representing Indian Nations will draw mainstream national media coverage.
Prez on the Rez will take place August 23, 2007 at the Morongo Indian Reservation in California.
Why Support Prez on the Rez?
The first major event sponsored by the INDN's List Education Fund, Prez on the Rez is a forum for Democratic presidential candidates on contemporary issues and challenges facing Indian Country as well as the American people as a whole. Tribes and tribal leaders have played key roles in determining elections all across the nation, from Washington to Pennsylvania to Minnesota. Key battleground states, including New Mexico, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Washington, are home to significant Indian populations. Additionally, three early Primary states, Nevada, Oklahoma and Michigan, (also a key General Election state), have significant Indian populations. The resources, advice, and votes that Indian Nations offer can be leveraged in support of a prosperous Indian Country and the interests of American families. With Indian Tribes flexing their political muscle, wading into presidential politics and making early endorsements to their respective tribal citizens in the early months of the primaries, we believe that "Prez on the Rez" can play a key role in motivating voters from their tribes. More important than the political wisdom of seeking the support of Indian voters and tribal leaders is the responsibility our national leaders have to join the conversation with our First Americans. Yet conmen like Jack Abramoff have proven that their concern for Indians extends only so far as Indians can be exploited for financial and political gain in measures that serve only to keep Indians tragically behind. The families of Indian Country face poverty, unemployment, substandard housing and healthcare, and a lack of educational opportunity that is entirely unmatched by any other segment of the American population. Yet tribes are working hard to counter this tragedy of economic inequality and political exploitation by seeking to build prosperous communities and by establishing a voice in our democracy. The American voters made 2006 a year of change. American Indians know that 2008 promises to be a year of opportunity. Indian Country is excited about this historic occasion. Tribal leaders recognize Prez on the Rez as an opportunity to engage in a dialogue with the candidates for the Democratic nomination on how to ensure that Indian Country is a part of the future prosperity of this nation. This presidential election marks an unprecedented opportunity for Democratic presidential candidates to demonstrate conclusively that they will fight for tribal needs and resources and that Indians are welcome in the halls of power at all levels across the country.