WASHINGTON, President Joe Biden will announce Monday steps to improve the safety and justice of Native Americans at the first summit of tribal nations since 2016.
The two-day event will see leaders from over 570 tribes of the United States attend. Nearly three dozen will address the gathering. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has affected Native Americans and Alaska Natives at an disproportionate rate, the summit is being held virtual.
Biden and Jill Biden, first lady, are scheduled to speak Monday. Vice President Kamala Harris will follow on Tuesday. Biden's Cabinet members will also be present.
Jen Psaki, White House press secretary, stated that the summit falls on National Native American Heritage Month and is being hosted by The White House for its first time. The summit was not organized during the Trump administration. The Interior Department hosted previous conferences.
Psaki stated that Biden will use this summit to announce steps to improve the safety and justice of Native Americans, as well as to protect private lands and treaty rights, and sacred places.
According to the Association on American Indian Affairs, American Indians and Alaska Natives are twice as likely to become victims of violent crime and at least two-times more likely to have their bodies raped or sexually assaulted than other races.
Biden took several steps since he was elected to office in January. The White House said that this demonstrates his commitment towards tribal nations.
They include naming Deb Haaland (a former New Mexico congresswoman) as the Interior Department's first Native American leader , the powerful federal agency that has influenced U.S. tribal leaders for many generations. Haaland is part of the Laguna Pueblo.
The White House stated that Biden's coronavirus relief program included $31 billion for tribal areas and that the administration has also worked closely with tribal leaders in order to increase COVID-19 vaccination rates among Native Americans.
Biden was also the first president to issue a proclamation designating October 11th as Indigenous People's Day. This is a significant step forward in long-standing efforts to refocus federal holidays celebrating Christopher Columbus towards Native peoples.
Jill Biden spent two full days earlier this year in April at the Navajo Nation capitalin Window Rock (Arizona).
