FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 22, 2024
CHICAGO, IL – NDN Collective sent a delegation to uplift Indigenous issues at the DNC – from calling for a free Palestine, landback, and executive clemency for Leonard Peltier at the Coalition to March on the DNC; to participating in Chicago Dissenters panel StopCopCities: Domestic Warfare and Decolonization; to helping people make the connection between the occupation Indigenous people on Turtle Island have been living under for over 500 years and the genocide being carried out in Gaza.
“It is clear the Democratic party expects Indigenous people and other systemically oppressed peoples to rally behind them without question – which is a huge mistake,” said Janene Yazzie, Director of Policy and Advocacy at NDN Collective. “Democrats are simultaneously pouring billions of dollars into the presidential campaign and, as of this week, an additional $26.5 billion into the genocide in Gaza – all while ignoring issues their base actually cares about. We know there are people in the Democratic Party who have worked for decades to make a genuine change for their communities and for this country. We are appealing to them to recognize this is not a time for politics as usual – but to stand courageously and bravely in protection of human rights here and abroad. If they want to win, Democrats need to distinguish themselves by taking a strong stance for all humanity, and put up a platform rooted in humanity.”
“The notion of ‘saving democracy’ was touted by politicians and celebrities at the DNC throughout the week – a shallow talking point to make the money flow, because democracy has never existed on this land,” said Eva Cardenas, Director of Organizing at NDN Collective. “Indigenous people continue to organize and build solidarity across communities because we believe in a truly representative political system and know a better way of relating to one another and to our planet.”
“We came to the DNC because there is a genocide happening in Gaza – and the DNC is not only complicit in the killing of over 40,000 Palestinians, they are directly responsible,” said Nick Tilsen, President and CEO of NDN Collective. “Democrats believe they are the party to save “democracy” — yet they support the right wing fascist state of Israel that commits war crimes and erodes human rights globally. As survivors of the American genocide and whose land this entire country sits on, we stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people. The DNC’s active erasure of the Palestinian struggle while they fund the genocide is absolutely unacceptable and goes against the core values of democracy. We call upon Democratic leadership to stand with the people, and commit to a permanent ceasefire now!”
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NDN Collective is an Indigenous-led organization dedicated to building Indigenous power. Through organizing, activism, philanthropy, grantmaking, capacity-building, and narrative change, we are creating sustainable solutions on Indigenous terms