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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Matt Samp
Communications Director
Four Directions, Inc.

Native Presidential Forum: Democrats Sanders, Castro, Williamson, Bullock, Delaney, and Independent Charles confirmed attendees as of July 25, 2019

MISSION, SD – July 25, 2019 — Four Directions intends to make history in Sioux City, Iowa, on August 19 and 20 with the first-ever presidential election forum focused entirely on the concerns of Native Americans.

Organizers have already confirmed five candidates vying for the Democratic nomination: Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, best-selling author Marianne Williamson, Montana Governor Steve Bullock, former United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro and former United States Representative John Delaney.  Independent Candidate Mark Charles, a member of the Navajo Nation, will also attend.  Discussions continue with several other campaigns and additional guests are expected.

“Candidates want to say yes to this event, because they understand voter turnout is increasing dramatically in Indian Country,” said O.J. Semans, co-executive director of Four Directions, the primary organizer of the forum.

The Frank LaMere Presidential Candidate Forum will be held over two days at the Orpheum Theatre in Sioux City.  It is named in honor of a Native American rights activist from the Sioux City area, who died in June.

Native-led Four Directions is the nation’s preeminent Native voter engagement organization focusing on our nation’s First Americans.  Four Directions has an established record of winning lawsuits to expand voting access and working on reservations throughout the United States to dramatically boost Native voter participation.

In addition to Four Directions and Native Organizers Alliance hosting the forum, most of the country’s major Native American organizations have signed on as co-hosts.  These include: National Congress of American Indians, Native American Rights Fund, Great Plains Tribal Chairman’s Association, Coalition of Large Tribes, Midwest Alliance of Sovereign Tribes, and United South and Eastern Tribes.

Semans said the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana will be the Lead Premier sponsor for the event and NDN Collective has joined as Lead Underwriting sponsor.  Tom Rodgers of Carlyle Consulting has joined as Lead Stage sponsor.

“In a contested primary and a general election that’s likely to be close, there are several states where Native American voters can provide a winning margin,” said Semans.  He added it’s a matter of fairness to expect candidates for President to be familiar with issues facing Indian Country.  Four Directions, the media and other Native rights organizations are paying close attention this year to candidate positions, and Semans said Native American voters will be better informed than ever when it comes time to vote.

Four Directions has been instrumental where Native American voters have made the difference for Native-preferred candidates in previous elections.  An example is Montana.  As a result of Four Directions’ litigation in Wandering Medicine vs. McCulloch in 2012-2014 and continued advocacy, Montana now has 13 in-person satellite voting offices on Indian Reservations.  These satellite offices have made a demonstrable difference.  Last year, for example, Senator Jon Tester won re-election in Montana with just over 50 percent of the vote.  In one of the voting precincts serving nearly exclusively Native American voters, Tester won 31 out of every 32 votes of the 2-party votes cast.

“No candidate should take the Native American vote for granted,” said Semans.  “But when candidates demonstrate they understand the issues and will work for the betterment of our people and our communities, they can earn our votes.”

At the Frank LaMere Presidential Candidate Forum, representatives of Tribes and leading Native American organizations from across the country will serve on panels composed of Tribal leaders and Native youth, posing questions of candidates and create dialogue.

“This forum isn’t about ‘gotcha’ moments.  It’s about ‘get it’ moments.  We want candidates to grasp the challenges and aspirations of Indian Country,” said Semans.  “At the two nights of candidate debates in Miami, broadcast to a national audience, not one question or one candidate comment addressed Native American issues.  Ignoring this forum in Iowa is ignoring the millions of First Americans who are citizens and voters.”

Among the issues expected to be explored at the forum: the scourge of murdered and missing indigenous women, Native infrastructure, Native American health care, Native education and Native economic development.

These and other Native issues are impacted by the United States’ willingness to honor treaty obligations.  Treaty obligations and sovereignty will be front and center on August 19th and 20th.

Candidates will also be asked to express their position on H.R. 3467 (Remove the Stain Act), the bipartisan House legislation revoking the 20 Medals of Honor awarded to 7th Cavalry troops for participating in the murders of innocent Native American women and children at the Wounded Knee Massacre of December 29, 1890.

“This forum is a national conversation with Indian Country,” said Semans, who noted the event will be covered by various regional and national media outlets.  While a live big six media partner has not stepped forward, the entire event will be streamed live via the Four Direction website, co-host websites, blogs, media outlets and social media platforms.

Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women will be Key Topic;

Rocky Mountain Tribal Leaders Council and Global Indigenous Council sign on as additional co-hosts.

MISSION, SD – August 2, 2019 – Four Directions Co-Executive Director O.J. Semans said the issue of missing and murdered indigenous women must be addressed by the candidates appearing at the Frank LaMere Native American Presidential Forum in Sioux City on August 19 – 20, 2019.

The Rocky Mountain Tribal Leaders Council (RMTLC) has also joined as co-host. The RMTLC represents tribes in Montana, Wyoming and Idaho. The Global Indigenous Council (GIC) was formed by a Resolution of the Great Plains Tribal Chairman’s Association (GPTCA). In addition to GPTCA and RMTLC, co-hosts include the National Congress of American Indians, Native American Rights Fund, Coalition of Large Tribes, Midwest Alliance of Sovereign Tribes, United South and Eastern Tribes, and Seeding Sovereignty.

The forum will feature panels of tribal leaders and Native American youth who will question presidential candidates making individual appearances over the two-day event.

“We’re working to ensure the next President of the United States understands and is committed to addressing the issue of violence against Native American women,” said Semans. “We’re hopeful candidates will also add their voice to revoke the Medals of Honor wrongfully awarded to 7th Cavalry soldiers for the murders of Native women and children at the December 29, 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre. For as long as these medals remain unrevoked, the United States of America officially provides support to those who commit violence against Native women,” Semans said.

Many Native American women who are tribal and community leaders will be among the panelists, including Gay Kingman, the executive director of the Great Plains Tribal Chairman’s Association.

The National Crime Information Center estimates there were nearly 6,000 cases of murdered or missing Native American women in the year 2016 alone, eclipsing the death toll for U.S. forces in the Iraq War. One in three Native American women will be raped in their lifetimes. The Department of Justice estimates indigenous women are about two and a half times more likely to be victims of sexual assault. Semans said it’s important to note the Department of Justice reports 86 percent of all reported sex crimes against Native women are perpetrated by non-Natives.

Violence against Native American women is significantly more frequent than in the general population, and the high incidence has led to bi-partisan efforts in Congress. The Justice for Native Survivors of Sexual Violence Act, the Native Youth and Tribal Officer Protection Act, and the Studying the Missing and Murdered Indian Crisis Act sponsors included Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Sen. Tom Udall, (D-NM), Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN), and Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT).

“From the highest political offices, politicians and their surrogates continue to launch infantile and racist attacks invoking the name of Pocahontas. Ironically, Matoaka, known historically as Pocahontas, suffered the same traumas experienced by missing and murdered indigenous victims. The MMIW issue is older than America, but 243 years after the colonists’ Declaration of Independence we’re still waiting for the United States Government to address the epidemic. Recently, our legislative recommendations received bipartisan support from prominent members of the House and Senate, yet we are still waiting for meaningful legislation to be passed, said Lynnette Grey Bull, Senior Vice President – Global Indigenous Council (GIC).

“Fifty federally recognized Indian tribes from the frontlines of the MMIW tragedy signed-off on our Savanna’s Act amendments but they appear no closer to making it into the final bill. We lobbied hard for the Native Articles in the VAWA Reauthorization Act of 2019 and given the critical role of some 2020 candidates in formulating VAWA, it would be good to hear how they would move not only VAWA but other MMIW-related legislation out of Mitch McConnell’s vault and into law,” Grey Bull said.

“Senator McConnell has reveled in his self-given moniker, the Grim Reaper. All MMIW legislation goes through him. If he won’t bring the bills to the floor the death rate among the most vulnerable in our communities, our women and children, will continue to rise. At that point, he might not be so proud of his nickname and we need to know which 2020 presidential candidates are going to act and not just talk about saving lives,” stated Tom Rodgers, President (Acting), Global Indigenous Council, Blackfeet Tribal member and Jack Abramoff Whistle-blower.

“We encourage presidential candidates to also attend the first-ever MMIW Tribunal in the US, scheduled for September 6 and 7 on the Blackfeet Nation in Montana,” said OJ Semans, Rosebud Sioux Tribe, Co-Executive Director, Four Directions.

Photos of elected leaders endorsing the efforts of GPTCA, RMTLC, and GIC regarding MMIW attached to this media release.

*Members of Congress photos © Alter-Native Media. Courtesy of Global Indigenous Council.


Background

For an in-depth discussion of issues in Indian Country, see this Washington Post story, which includes input from Four Directions:
www.washingtonpost.com/news/magazine/wp/2019/05/13/feature/what-do-native-americans-want-from-a-president

To learn more about the Frank LaMere Presidential Candidate Forum hosts and co-hosts, please follow these links:

Hosts

Four Directions, Inc. – www.fourdirectionsvote.com
Native Organizers Alliance – www.nativeorganizing.org

Co-Hosts

National Congress of American Indians – www.ncai.org
Coalition of Large Tribes – www.largetribes.org
Native American Rights Fund – www.narf.org
Great Plains Tribal Chairman’s Association – www.gptca.net
Midwest Alliance of Sovereign Tribes – www.m-a-s-t.org
United South and Eastern Tribes – www.usetinc.org
Seeding Sovereignty – www.seedingsovereignty.org
Global Indigenous Council – www.globalindigenouscouncil.com
Rocky Mountain Tribal Leaders Council – https://www.rmtlc.org
Sponsors
Lead Premier Sponsor: Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana – http://www.koasatiheritage.org
Lead Underwriting Sponsor: NDN Collective – www.ndncollective.org 
Underwriting Sponsor: Movement Voter Project: https://movement.vote
Lead Stage Sponsor Tom Rodgers of Carlyle Consulting: http://carlyleconsult.com

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