Coming up on the weekend edition of the ICT newscast it was enough for the students to see that a treaty was being broken so it was just enough to get us all ready to take alcatra ICT producer Shirley snav talks with a chalk toil filmmaker about her documentary that highlights a pivotal
Moment in Native American history plus with Ronda santis out of the presidential running our political correspondent paully denetclaw talks with Michael stop about how the field is shaping up and we visit a local coffee shop in Arizona serving up coffee beans with the site of theet culture join us
For those interviews on the ICT newscast this program is made possible by The Corporation for Public Broadcasting a private Corporation funded by the American people support for the ICT newscast with aah Chavez comes from the Arizona PBS studios in Phoenix the Walter kronite School of Journalism and mass communications at Arizona State [Applause] [Applause] University amopa thank you for joining us I am Aaliyah Chavez we start our weekend edition of our newscast by revisiting our political segment with Michael stop new ICT regular contributor Michael stop let’s go now to ICT political correspondent Paulie denetclaw hello and welcome back to the ICT newscast
Michael good morning thank you for having me for our regular viewers they may remember you from election night in 2022 but for those new viewers who have just joined us my Michael can you please introduce yourself yeah my name is Michael stop I am uh member a citizen of the Cherokee
Nation and also of Mogi Creek descent um I went to West Point early on uh spent some time in the Army and then got into politics um and policy my first job on in Washington DC was actually working for the senate committee on Indian Affairs and I ultimately left uh
Washington policy and politics as the chief of staff for now Senator Mark Wayne Mullen the only native in the Senate um I left there and started a company uh basically working on economic development in Indian Country helping companies work with tribes and navigate the challenges that tribal governments can sometimes throw up
So and can you talk to us a little bit about you know when you first were coming up and why you decided to pursue a career in politics and be a part of of this field so to be honest it was actually my veteran status that got me more into
Policymaking I didn’t feel with what was going on in and um operation enduring Freedom or um operation Iraqi Freedom was actually uh good for our veterans or good for our service members and so I got more involved in the politics there talking about a reduction in the war
Effort and definitely those who were deployed they needed the services when they got back the VA and and this is a bipartisan thing has has become much better I think in this generation of soldiers so I was very happy to be a part of that but I will tell you that I
Growing up I never really felt Indian because I grew up around to other Indians all my whole life you know my dad worked in Indian Country for multiple tribes and IHS so it wasn’t different to me it wasn’t until I went to West Point and started working in
Public policy where there weren’t a lot of natives that I realized that there was a little bit different so that also drew me into um uh Indian law and Indian Federal Indian policy when I was at West Point we actually started um the Native American Heritage for which the whole
Purpose was to educate um Cadets about uh Native Americans in the military service about our history about our culture and to help bring uh Native Cadets uh kind of a a Brotherhood of fraternity to help them inculcate to the academy so in my class there were only three natives out of 1,200 Cadets
So and thank you so much for sharing that Michael um now moving into the White House can you talk to us a little bit about some of what the surprises have been this election cycle namely Ronda santis has dropped out of the race and can you talk a little bit about how
That has impacted um the election well I I think it is even more clear today than it was two weeks ago that we have a front runner in the Republican Party it is Donald Trump um Ronda Sanchez came out strong uh about six to nine months ago everyone thought
He was going to be a real competitor with Trump um I would say that when people got to know him better and in person he just didn’t have the personality um and it didn’t come across well uh especially someone as as vibrant as Donald Trump it’s hard to compete
With that he came across as trying to be Trump light in a Republican party that is still very prot Trump and quite frankly he had some real mechanical issues in his campaign uh they made a lot of mistakes um and and I personally
Am not a big fan of of Jeff row uh and and I think a lot of strategies they took um didn’t help them win the trust of the voters or tell them yes we have another option so I I think there are a number of factors against Ronda
Santz and what were some of the reasons why you think um DeSantis you know the New Hampshire primaries were last night and he had stated that in Iowa he was going to go um into the New Hampshire primary but then did drop out um so what do you think were some of the
Contributing factors of that decision I I will guarantee you that a big part of that contributing factor is going to be donors donors are going to look at him and say we don’t see a path to Victory there the poll numbers that we were seeing prior to New Hampshire um
Had um Ronda santis in a dismal third place uh Nikki Haley went in with with the whole point of hoping to win New Hampshire and she had a bigger ground game in New Hampshire than Ronda santis did Ronda santis put all the efforts into Iowa and still came 30 points shy
Of beating Donald Trump even though he was in all of their counties and did the the traditional politicking that’s expected for the Iowa caucuses he still did poorly uh knowing that and knowing that he didn’t put the attention into New Hampshire that he needed to his I no
Doubt that his donors are telling him where done um we don’t see a path to Victory it’s time for you to step aside uh and I’m sure he saw the same thing and we did see um an increase in votes for Nikki Haley last night at the
New Hampshire uh primary can you talk a little bit about that yeah so it was closer than what people were predicting I think that they haven’t finished all the counts but I saw she’s uh only behind by about 11% and I think the the numbers were closer to 20 at one point
But I think that has a you also have to look at the total number of votes cast compared to 2016 and 2020 uh they had record turnout in New Hampshire and a lot of people don’t understand how the New Hampshire primary Works uh you don’t
Have to be a republican to cast a vote in the New Hampshire primary um and so it is possible for someone who’s a Democrat or an independent to cast a vote and skew it so the that was the concern for the Trump campaign and others wondering are they going to come
In and try to undercut Trump well they may have but it wasn’t enough of an effort uh Trump got uh a record number of Republican votes for himself that last night um and you know I the electorate at least the people on the on the right and the left um not the Mushi
Middle who really make the decisions in this country but the people on the right and left are energized this election cycle and I think we talked about this in another story it it’s going to be interesting to see how the Independents vote and how the the moderate Democrats and moderate Republicans vote because
Normally in primaries you see the extremes and the extremes are coming out uh you saw something else unprecedented last night and that was a right-in campaign for President Joe Biden it is unusual for someone to win a rideing campaign like that and get over 50% of
The vote uh so there are a couple of interesting things about New Hampshire it shows that the bases are um energized but again in November the people who make the decision are those in the middle The Independents and the um moderate conservatives and liberals well thank you so much for
Joining the ICT newscast Michael well thank you for having me so I wanted to check in to see how everything was going with your pregnancy too your food choices affect you it affects the baby and it affects your family it’s important to have a balanced diet with foods from all of the
Different food groups carbohydrates water fats protein vitamins and minerals all great things for baby it’s going to be 17 and2 teaspoons of sugar and one can of iced tea I’m going to back off on the Arizona cake for some time I really love and enjoy the program
It was an easy connection for us when I first met her it was just like I could relate she was welcoming and made me feel comfortable everybody has different beliefs what I like about family spirit is that it takes that into consideration honoring their beliefs and their background for different
Cultures he babbles all the time and like he’ll point to Banana we say you want banana so that’s kind of how we communicate and know what he does want and what he Doesn’t educators will soon have a new tool to teach a pivotal moment in Native American history Chaka filmmaker Colleen thirston produced a 13-minute documentary short for retro report on the occupation of alcatra Island in California I CS Shirley sevy has more for us I was really excited to look at
The Alcatraz movie tell us about it I I’ve been working with a retro report an independent news organization um they are they do some really cool work what they do is they work with Educators who inform them what holes are missing in school curriculum what students are not learning about and
What teachers through 12 teachers have been saying over and over again is there is a significant lack of American Indian content in K through 12 curriculum which a lot of us already know that right so um they contracted me to make a a piece about activism and what we are really
Interested in is a is a female perspective um what how does alcatra how do these occupations fit into um fit into these ideas of matriarchal societies and so that’s what led us to Len warjack who was one of the original occupiers and was one of the leaders of the occupation of alcatra so
We started with with Len and went from there with this story was there anything that that surprised you that she told you I mean as far as the history was concerned she was a student the whole time that she was you know the whole however long 19 months that um the
Occupation went on so she was she was taking fairies she was hitching rides with fishermen um to go back to to Berkeley to turn in papers so she’d go to she’d go to the island and she said um we we didn’t use this in the in the Final Cut
But she said it was so quiet it was so easy to write there and so Not only was she Not only was she um you know finishing her studies and continuing her time as a full-time student and a mother but was was was occupying this this federal prison former federal prison and
Writing quite a bit of policy and proposals on the island for an American Indian Center for a university um to be to be uh implemented in the on the island on the official tour the American Indian uh occupation of uh Alcatraz is like this big it’s just this big and
It’s just like something for us as native people that was just so gamechanging it’s just like a footnote in history to the people that run the Alcatraz Island it hurt yeah I mean you asked what was surprising and I I hadn’t been to Alcatraz before and you get off the boat and there’s
This huge painted sign you know you are on Indian land and so for me I thought that the island was going to um really showcase that history because it’s right there front and center that’s the first thing you see but like you said it’s it’s it’s not it really is kind of a
Foot note um there is a an exhibit that is closed off we were able to visit because we were with Len we had a camera crew um but it’s closed off to the public it was opened for the 50th anniversary of the occupation and and now it’s full of of bird
Feathers um there’s a ton of birds on the island and um it was really sad uh I was I was surprised that there wasn’t more visibility throughout out the island because like you said the occupation is a pivotal moment in history for many reasons I mean it it wasn’t just about
Treaty rights and land back it’s become so much more it’s become this moment of visibility when native people were portrayed um empathetically in in the media um and and was a GameChanger in terms of policy so for that to be this this incredibly impactful time and moment um that was
Right in the middle of um of all the Civil Rights movements as well um to not see that represented felt like a really missed opportunity how can people watch this documentary it will be online for free um to to stream for anyone um and again it’s it is for anyone but it can
Be used in the classroom in the way that we produced it um is accessible right like language that that younger people can understand maybe not children but um but you know juveniles people in people in in high school can and maybe Middle School can definitely understand and
Absorb it and it’s a good length for the classroom too there’s so many wonderful featur link documentaries as you well know um that deal with our history Native history Native culture um but sometimes that’s hard to fit into a an hour-long class um whereas you know something that’s 10 15 minutes it
Gives you time to to not only watch it but then discuss it I’m glad you’re able to tell this story through the documentary thank you for joining us Colleen thiren thank you so much Shirley it’s it’s really my pleasure thank you the federal prison at Alcatraz had been abandoned since
1963 so the occupiers invoked the treaty of fort laramy signed in 1868 between the United States and the Lakota Nation claiming that it allowed them to seize federal land that was no longer being used it was enough for the student to see that a treaty was being broken so
It was just enough to get us all ready to take alcatra this is our land all of it this is a starting place for All American Indians to Rally around on the island warjack was a key strategist and one of the female voices in the leadership Richard Oaks a mohawk
Activist and San Francisco State University student student became the face of the occupation in the media we wish to be fair and honorable in our dealings with the Caucasian inhabitants of this land and hereby offer the following treaty we will purchase set Alcatraz Island for $24 in glass beads
And red cloth a precedent set by The White Man’s purchase of a similar Island about 300 years ago we know that $24 in trade goods for these 16 acres is more than was paid when Manhattan Island was sold but we know that land values have risen over the years we appointed our
Governing leadership we actually had an election and from there we established who is going to cook the food who is going to bring the food over who is going to be on security who’s going to help with the children who is going to teach the children the Indians seem to be picking
Up a lot of support they have receiv received several thousand do in cash and food stuff television news coverage spread the story of the occup around the world it drew attention to the occupiers demands to end Federal policies like forced relocation and the termination of tribal rights we will
Become an international Outlet worldwide for authentic Indian art and this will establish our base income to run the island and our University warjack wanted to set up a Native American studies Center on Alcatraz to teach more accurate American history she had successfully pressured Berkeley to establish the first Native
American studies curriculum a few months earlier it was all colonized studies they don’t want to be confronted with the fact that this country was based on genocide of our people so we wanted to initiate programs to talk about our truths in our histories plans for the future were being laid but
Then in January 1970 tragedy has come to Richard Oaks the leader of a group of Indians now squatting on the abandoned prison grounds of Alcatraz his 12-year-old daughter Ivonne died today of injury suffered 5 days ago in a three-story fall while playing among the prison buildings Richard didn’t want to stay out
There it’s really hard to lose the child and so he went back and then uh we just kept working just move forward keep going soon media coverage turned negative negotiations with the federal government broke down power was cut off to Alcatraz and living conditions deteriorated what is the situation now
On the island well we have a considerable C of canned sea rations but then we don’t have any fresh fruits vegetables or meat or milk we don’t know how long we’ll be able to hold out food and waterwise but we’re going to hold out there as long as it takes to maintain our
Occupation you can view the full film the occupation of alcatra a catalyst for indigenous activism at retr report.org We are the breath of this land and national parks listen and you will hear our ancestors at these sacred places we are indigenous to these lands the original caretakers the stories that tie this nation together we are our ancestors the hope of the future we will not be Forgotten one coffee shop in Phoenix Arizona is brewing up coffee with the sight of D tradition and Innovation ict’s quinda yai has more for us this isn’t just any shop imagine entering and being immediately greeted by the comforting Aromas of coffee beans and green thread theet scoten coffee is
An indigenous lead and queer coffee shop centering and celebrating to NE creatives in Phoenix Arizona it is tucked in the front corner of a Furniture and Design store named for the people and has become a space to enjoy art with your coffee so you see like these curtains these small drapes here
You see like you know little things like these um coffee cups with the Spackle on them you know you always see people at Jing drinking out of these um we have like an old folders um Can here and all of this was all intentional the sights and sounds
Are reminiscent of Grandma’s place where coffee is always brewing and ingredients are medicine the menu here is a part of a matriarchal lineage one of our team members Isabelle she’s half den and half Hispanic so like she very she likes the horchata and it’s like very close to her
Culture as well so she really pushes that and keeps that on the menu and then like that’s really good so it incorporates like the Hispanic communities around us too cuz they relate to that and then we also um let them know have them try like other
Things on the menu and kind of like keep that circle like that openness cuz all of our histories are very uh similar in that way and of course like even though we have a lot of native people that come in that are da a lot of them are still
People of the land the p and the toota Autumn so they’ll come in and they’ll give us like recommendations so I think it’s mainly just like having an open ear and listening to what our customer needs want from the blue corn pastries down to the washi tape notes on the cup such as
Land back or SC in the morphology of let’s go then aside from that it is also where people put Innovation at the Forefront so what we like to do is we like to follow like the seasons and what is being um in what’s in season like the
Produce and we do that by doing some research kind of like going back about what’s going on like who’s growing stuff on the nav Nation as well and then we do our research around here to see like oh there’s small companies around us we should prioritize their their business
Versus going to like buying bulks at like the grocery store and of course like customers come in and they give us recommendations as well the coffee shop honors the Journey of reconnection reclamation and restoring the balance back to Mother Earth reporting from the Akim AUM and hokom lands in Phoenix
Arizona quandre yai ICT news It is a good day today the word Min is talking about something that is good nice or well gig good is a word for day and then noo means today so we put all three together we have n it is a good day [Applause] Today you this program is made possible by The Corporation for Public Broadcasting a private Corporation funded by the American people
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