North Texas Native Americans want their voices heard ahead of 2024 presidential election
DALLAS — Many Native Americans in North Texas feel their voices are not being heard ahead of the 2024 presidential election. There is a lingering distrust in the government regarding its ability to act in their best interests.
The primary concern for Native Americans remains sovereignty, accompanied by worries about inadequate engagement from both their communities and politicians. With the expansion of SpaceX in South Texas and the current political landscape, Indigenous people have significant stakes in the upcoming elections.
According to Jodi Voice Yellowfish, chair of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Woman Texas Rematriate, both political parties in the Dallas metroplex have failed to engage Native Americans adequately. Voice Yellowfish, who identifies as Muscogee Creek, Oglala Lakota, and Cherokee, expressed, “I feel like with all political candidates, there’s an ignorance around sovereignty and what it means to have a relationship with another sovereign nation.”
Statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau reveal that only 0.6% of Dallas residents identify as American Indian or Alaska Native. However, this figure doesn’t capture the entire picture.
“We’re not as small as the 0.6% would make us look,” said Stephen Silva Brave, a Lakota Nation member and a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Texas at Arlington. He highlighted that many Indigenous people in the Dallas metroplex feel underrepresented in the census data due to how ethnic identification is counted.
Across the U.S., there are 574 federally recognized tribes and nearly 6.8 million American Indians and Alaska Natives. About 4.7 million are eligible to vote.
National Priorities
To grasp the relationship urban Natives have with politics, one must understand the history of the Indian Relocation Act. Instituted in 1956, this law encouraged Native Americans to leave their reservations for urban life, aiming to assimilate them into the broader society.
Critics argue the law diluted Indigenous culture and disrupted tribal community bonds, forcing Natives off lands sought for development. Silva Brave stated, “They would offer a small amount of support and a lot of broken promises.” The fight for political recognition remains persistent in North Texas.
Native Sovereignty
Silva Brave mentioned that many in Native communities have drawn parallels between their struggles and the fight for Palestinian rights, recognizing a common lineage through colonialism and imperialism.
Voice Yellowfish emphasized that one of the leading protections of Native sovereignty is the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), enacted in 1978 to safeguard Native child welfare amidst a history of forced removals. She noted, “It’s just a reminder constantly when there’s opposition to letting ICWA work for Native people, that colonization never ended, really.”
ICWA enforces protocols for Child Protective Services workers when removing a Native child to prioritize placements with Native relatives, tribal members, or Native group homes before considering non-Native options. Before the law, nearly 80% of Native families on reservations experienced the loss of at least one child to the foster care system.
In a significant ruling by the Supreme Court regarding the ICWA—Haaland v. Brackeen—the law was upheld, highlighting the importance of Native children to the survival of Indigenous peoples.
As the upcoming elections approach, concerns linger about potential challenges to the ICWA and Indigenous sovereignty. Silva Brave poignantly expressed, “If the next president replaces two justices with two very far right-leaning people, everything is on the table again.”
Local Priorities
Many Native Texans seek better representation in educational curricula. Silva Brave has been advocating for a Native Studies course, which has faced delays in consideration at the State Board of Education. Additionally, he commented on the ecological concerns stemming from SpaceX’s activities near tribal lands, emphasizing the need for representatives who prioritize safeguarding these ancestral areas.
About 66% of eligible Native American voters are registered, with most leaning Democratic. However, leaders like Nita Battise from the Alabama Coushatta Tribe emphasize the importance of bipartisanship to ensure that Native concerns are addressed by both political parties. “By maintaining bipartisanship,” she stated, “you have the attention of both parties.”
Local representatives like Dallas City Councilman Omar Narvaez have supported the Native community, but there remains a persistent feeling of political apathy resulting from historical injustices. Silva Brave articulated, “Why do I even need to do that? My life is going to be the same. My community has my back.”
To enhance political representation, advocates recognize the necessity of establishing access to the ballot box. Instances of disenfranchisement based on tribal identification have been reported, although these IDs are federally recognized for voting purposes.
Finally, Battise reiterated the significance of representation, citing the appointment of Native leaders to government positions as essential for assuring that the voices of Indigenous peoples are heard. “There should be a Native American Supreme Court justice,” highlighted Silva Brave, stressing the ongoing need for increased representation and participation in American democracy.
