The endorsements of the Native Caucus will never be “paper endorsements” for which Native people receive nothing. In order to be endorsed by the Nevada Statewide Native American Caucus, candidates for office or pieces of legislation must illustrate how they align with and/or further the strategic priorities of the Caucus listed below:
To receive the endorsement of the Native Caucus, you must complete this form.
1. Expansion of the Native Tuition Waiver To Include Citizens and Descendants of All Federally-Recognized Tribes
2. The Building of Equitable Educational Facilities For Nevada Tribes, Bands, and Colonies
3. Funding for Data Collection on Cases of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit People (MMIWG2P)
4. Indian Education For All
- Mandate inclusion of Indigenous perspectives in history, science classes at all levels of education from kindergarten to twelfth grade
- Hiring of IEFA staff team dedicated to both best practices and programming for curriculum alongside teachers, in coordination with Tribes
- Training for Teachers program based on courses that teachers can voluntarily sign up for for five consecutive Saturdays, where they study Native literature, history, and Indigenous science, and then develop their own lesson plans based on their own style as teachers for Indian education
5. Creation and Funding of a Native Languages Budget
- Dedicated to the restoration and long-term resurgence of Northern Paiute, Southern Paiute, Washoe, and Western Shoshone languages
- Programming In collaboration with Tribal elders, leaders, and linguists
6. Tribal Appointments in All Governmental Bodies and Government-Funded Bodies
- Including state agencies, all created taskforces, and higher education
- In higher education, cabinet-level Tribal appointments modeled on Arizona
7. Upholding of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples’ principle of Free, Prior, and Informed Consent In all Decisions and Projects Affecting Public Lands
- The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) was adopted by the General Assembly on Thursday, 13 September 2007, by a majority of 144 states in favor, 4 votes against (Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States) and 11 abstentions (Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burundi, Colombia, Georgia, Kenya, Nigeria, Russian Federation, Samoa and Ukraine).
- Years later the four countries that voted against have reversed their position and now support the UN Declaration, including the United States. Today the Declaration is the most comprehensive international instrument on the rights of indigenous peoples. It establishes a universal framework of minimum standards for the survival, dignity and well-being of the indigenous peoples of the world and it elaborates on existing human rights standards and fundamental freedoms as they apply to the specific situation of indigenous peoples.
