Friend,

This month is Native American Heritage Month, and here at NextGen America, we’re recognizing the leadership and contributions of Native American communities.

As we continue to fight for a truly representative democracy through accessible voting rights and a safer climate through environmental justice for clean water, air, and land, it’s crucial that we remember how these issues disproportionately impact Indigenous communities across the country. 

Due to deliberate voter-suppression tactics and policies, such as lack of information on how and where to register to vote, low levels of internet access due to inadequate investments for Native communities, and lack of polling places on Native land, Native Americans have a much harder time casting their ballots. 

Over the centuries, Native Americans have been intentionally displaced into land that is now most susceptible to climate disruption. Severe heat, droughts threatening access to drinking water, and aggressive storms are quickly making Native land uninhabitable. 

Despite these obstacles, Native Americans continue to be the leaders in the fight for a better future for us all. 

In the 2020 election, Native voters showed up in record numbers, thanks to years of investment and work from Native people across the states. 

Native activists have led the fight for climate justice and a more inclusive future, helping secure major climate-resiliency and infrastructure investments in the Build Back Better Agenda and bipartisan infrastructure bill, including:

• Commitments to replace dangerous lead pipes to deliver clean drinking water on Tribal lands;
• $216 million invested in the Bureau of Indian Affairs Tribal Climate Resilience Program for project planning and development to help combat climate change;
• $250 million provided to the Bureau of Indian Affairs for construction, improvement and maintenance of irrigation and power systems, water sanitation, and other facilities;
• $1 billion devoted to broadband access, meaning households on Native land will have reliable access to high-speed internet technology.

Simply put, our work is not possible without the decades of dedication, activism, and continued leadership of Native American communities.

And as our work continues, we remind ourselves that our fight for a stronger democracy and safer climate is a fight for a safe and prosperous future for Indigenous communities everywhere.

Thank you, 

NextGen America