Welcome to our 18th #womanoftheweek! Today, we will be discussing Deb Haaland, an Native American Congresswoman and Cabinet member! Enjoy!
Congresswoman Deb Haaland recently made headlines as she became the first Native American who was selected to be interior secretary of the United States. She grew up in a military family and had to attend 13 public schools. She is a single mother, and ran a business selling salsa to support her and her daughter. She is a proud citizen of the Pueblo of Laguna tribe in New Mexico.
Haaland became a Chairwoman of the Laguna Development Corporation Board of Directors, overseeing business operations. She focused on setting policies to be more environmentally conscious. After becoming the first Native American female to lead a State Party, she focused on protecting her tribe’s freedom and reaching out to forgotten communities during Obama’s campaign. Haaland became the first Native American female in Congress along with Sharice Davids during the 2018 election. Both Haaland and Davids’ wins were historic as they allowed Native American females to have representation in Congress for the first time. Haaland serves as the representative for New Mexico’s first congressional district and she advocates for environmental protection, preserving land and wildlife refuges, and rights for Native Americans.
Deb Haaland has had a political career that will be remembered. During a speech of hers she says “Growing up my life was not easy. I struggled with homelessness, I relied on food stamps and raised my child as a single mom,” and she goes on to say “This moment is profound when we consider the fact that a former secretary of the interior once proclaimed his goal was to, to quote, ‘civilize or exterminate [Native Americans]’ I am a living testament to the failure of that horrific ideology.” Haaland will be remembered in history for standing up for Native American rights and the persistent racism they face.
What politicians do you look up to? Comment below!
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