The NUifc statement on the Importance of Voting Rights Legislation
August 30, 2021
“Failure by Congress to pass this legislation would result in the squandering of a generational opportunity to fortify our electoral system and build a more perfect union. ”
As a leading advocate for urban American Indian & Alaskan Native nonprofits, the National Urban Indian Family Coalition understands the ability of all citizens to cast their ballots and have their voice heard is of paramount importance for a healthy community. It’s with this knowledge, the NUIFC supports the passage of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2021 in the US House of Representatives and is calling on the United States Senate to pass this landmark legislation.
This bill, HR4, builds upon the Voting Rights Act of 1965, one of the most successful pieces of civil rights legislation in our nation’s history and one of the biggest advancements our country has taken towards becoming a true multiracial democracy. HR4 would establish and strengthen voting procedures that ensure the protection of voters that have been disproportionately excluded from the political process. Sadly, we know how needed these protections are after watching states pass different voter suppression laws following the 2020 election. We are appalled, but not surprised that these efforts will be disproportionately harmful to the voting rights of Native, black, and communities of color who already experience historic and systemic marginalization in our political system.
As urban Native people, we know the damage that invisibility in important processes can bring to a community. We must continue to work with one another and build a stronger democracy and society, one that builds upon the understanding that democracy is indigenous and should be expanded and protected. Failure by Congress to pass this legislation would result in the squandering of a generational opportunity to fortify our electoral system and build a more perfect union.
Signed in Solidarity and Love by the Urban Indian Organizations below,
National Urban Indian Family Coalition
Janeen Comenote, Executive Director, NUIFC
Staff members Rio Fernandes, Audrey Gray, Meila Davis, Michelle Boxley
NUIFC Board and Organizations
Patricia Hibbeler – CEO, Phoenix Indian Center
Ramon Vasquez – Executive Director, American Indians in Texas Spanish Colonial Missions, San Antonio, TX
Sheri Timm-Riemers – Government & Community Relations Director, Ain Dah Yung Center, St. Paul MN
NUIFC Member Centers & Affiliates
First Alaskans Institute >> Anchorage AK
United Indians of All Tribes Foundation >> Seattle WA
Chief Seattle Club >> Seattle, WA
Seattle Indian Health Board >> Seattle. WA
Seattle Urban Native Network >> Seattle, WA
The Native Project >> Spokane WA
NAYA Family Center >> Portland OR
American Indian Child Resource Center >> Oakland CA
Semillas Community Schools >> Los Angeles, CA
Southern California Indian Center >> Fountain Valley, CA
Native American Health Center >> Oakland, CA
Las Vegas Indian Center >> Las Vegas, NV
Denver Indian Center >> Denver, CO
Denver Indian Family Resource Center >> Denver, CO
Tucson Indian Center >> Tucson, AZ
Native American Community Academy >> Albuquerque, NM
Minneapolis Indian Center >> Minneapolis, MN
Little Earth of United Tribes >> Minneapolis, MN
Minnesota Indian Women’s Resource Center >> Minneapolis, MN
MIGIZI >> Minneapolis, MN
Greater Cincinnati Native American Coalition >> Cincinnati, OH
Americans for Indian Opportunity >> Albuquerque, NM
Rock the Native Vote >> Oklahoma City & Tulsa, OK
Kansas City Indian Center >> Kansas City, MO
Indianapolis Indian Center >> Indianapolis, IN
American Indian Center of Chicago >> Chicago, IL
Sacred Pipe Resource Center, Bismarck, ND
Pine Hill Indian Community >> Pine Hill, SC
North American Indian Center of Boston >> Boston, MA
Native American Community Services >> Buffalo NY
American Indian Community House >> New York, NY
HeSapa Voter Initiative >> Rapid City SD
Ain Dah Yung Center >> St. Paul, MN
St. Paul Indians in Action >> St. Paul, MN
Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference of The United Methodist Church >> Oklahoma City, OK
Native Leadership Collective >> Albuquerque, NM
American Indian OIC >> Minneapolis, MN
Native American Community Development >> Minneapolis, MN
North American Indian Center of Detroit >> Detroit, MI
Santa Fe Indigenous Center >> Santa Fe, NM