The Senate made history on May 14th when they unanimously confirmed Diana Humetewa as a federal judge. Humetewa is the first ever active member of a Native American tribe to hold a such a position.
Upon hearing the news, the National Congress of American Indians released this statement.
"NCAI greatly appreciates the efforts of the President and Senate in achieving this historic confirmation. There are many qualified, talented people like Diane Humetewa in Indian Country who are able and willing to serve. We eagerly anticipate many more nominations of Native people to the federal bench and other offices."
American Indians have historically been under-represented in mainstream media, institutions of higher education, and many other aspects of society. Diana Humetewa’s appointment is significant because it represents a shift in the right direction for American Indians, and will allow the American Indian population to have an additional advocate for their beliefs in a position of power.
Democrats and Republicans alike are praising the appointment, and calling it a major step for the American Indian population.
Bert Brandenburg, executive director of the Justice at Stake Organization, praised the appointment and said that “"Increasing representation of Native Americans on the federal bench is especially important because federal courts have an outsized authority in defining what's known as federal Indian law. As a result, Native American people and tribal entities appear as parties in federal court proceedings at far higher rates than do non-Native Americans. Given this picture, the current lack of any active federal judges who are Native Americans is absolutely appalling."
Given everything we have studied this year about Native American history since the 1600s, what do you guys think about the significance about Diana Humetewa’s appointment? Do you think it is a major step?
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Interesting thoughts, although I doubt whether this appointment will actual manifest in to something tangible for the Native American community. Historically, they have been underrepresented and lack any sort of political or social voice. Native American reservations are plagued by alcoholism and poor education. Humetewa's appointment as a federal judge is a step in the right direction, not a game changing event for the Native American population.
ReplyDeleteI think this is very intriguing to say the least. I would have to agree with Nick however on this topic. Although this has made some headway for Native American representation in modern government, this is not a revolutionary change to the society that we live in today. I do hope that Humetewa will make the decisions that are not only constitutional but also for the betterment of our society and her people.
ReplyDeleteSadly, Native Americans have been greatly underrepresented in the US due to their population making up less than 1% of the entire US population. Even though the appointment of Humetawa to such a high government position may represent some progress for Native Americans, as far as regarding the people back on the rez (reservation), this will most likely make little difference to fix the poverty that plagues this minority.
ReplyDeleteI think it's great that there are still rooms for "first"'s in America except I feel that this particular feat should have been achieved earlier. In the past, representation in government has provided the most leeway in terms of diversity and has appointed officials regardless of race or gender. The fact that the first Native American to be appointed as a federal judge occurred only recently is astonishing. Also I find it remarkable that Democrats and Republicans alike can unite under this "major step for the American Indian population." In regards to your closing question, I feel that this is a major step that has occurred except I am ambivalent because I feel as though it should have taken place a long time ago. Perhaps the Native American population did not feel that their representation was that significant in the past or lacked a qualified candidate to earn a position.
ReplyDeleteAwesome post, Sitara. (Honestly, all I could think while readying this was "yaaaasss.") I'd have to disagree with Nick and Dean. I think that Humetawa's appointment was certainly a significant point of redirection and change within United States politics. While there is definitely no way to make up for some of the egregious and horrible things that the US has done to Native Americans (Trail of Tears, Dawes Severalty Act, etc.), it's great to see that the US is opening its arms to be including of Native American groups in national politics, something that's certainly been a late development.
ReplyDeleteThis is super interesting. Thanks for writing this, Sitara! Rishub, I definitely agree -- it's sad that it took this long to get to this point. Nick, I agree that this might not be a huge step in terms of legislation for the Native American population, but it does represent the fact that our Native American population is FINALLY getting some say in federal politics. It shows that we are still moving towards diversifying D.C.
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