Hearings target human rights

Copyright © 2008
Gallup Independent
By Diné Bureau

ST. MICHAELS — The Navajo Nation Human Rights Commission conducted its first series of public hearings in Holbrook, Winslow, and Flagstaff this week and heard testimonies on racial profiling, employment discrimination, religious freedoms, water rights and desecration of San Francisco Peaks among other issues.

Community members testified Tuesday and Wednesday in front of Commissioners Duane H. Yazzie, Clarence Chee, Steve Darden and Irving Gleason. The commission will summarize the content of the testimonies and compile them into a report that will be made available to the public and used as an educational tool at local, state, national and international forums.

Winslow resident Robert Carr has been a voice for his city since he ran for mayor several years ago. Carr made it a point to attend the Winslow public hearing and says racism is alive and well in the city of Winslow, according to the commission.

“When I ran for mayor in town, one of the main issues I had was racism against the street people,” Carr said. “City officials would say send them back to the reservation where they belong, load them up, we don’t want them here.”

Carr believes the area pawn shops and car dealerships target the Native community with outrageous prices and interest rates and stated the way to rectify this issue is to educate the public on their rights.

Navajo Nation Council Delegate Thomas Walker Jr., Leupp/Tolani Lake/Birdsprings, expressed appreciation at the hearings for the formation of the Human Rights Commission. “This is a significant day for the people of Winslow,” he said.

Walker explained that people get caught up in their daily lives and are often unaware of what is going on in their own communities. He pleaded for Native communities to speak up, not be silent or passive and not care what the mainstream communities may think.

“We need to step up, we have that responsibility whether we want it or not,” he said.

Winslow resident Janice Begay said she was eager to attend the Winslow public hearing and expressed frustration in not having a human rights organization available to voice her concerns. “The NNHRC was a long time coming,” Begay said. “The African American community has the NAACP. Who do we have?”

Gleason explained that it is a goal of the commission to educate Navajo Nation citizens about their rights and to empower them so they’ll exercise those rights. He said the commission exists to advocate for citizens rights at the local, state, national and international levels.

The commission was established under the legislative oversight of the Intergovernmental Relations Committee of the Navajo Nation Council in October 2006.

Indian rolling — a practice of abusing Navajo street inebriates, in some cases resulting in death, which occurred repeatedly in Farmington during the 1970s, along with the fatal shooting of a Navajo man in a Wal-Mart parking lot by a Farmington Police officer in June 2006 — were events that led Council to create the commission.
Its purpose is to collect data regarding acts of discrimination against Navajo Nation citizens by private citizens, businesses, organizations and foreign governments within and outside the Navajo Nation.

The commission will be conducting public hearings throughout Fiscal Year 2009 in the border towns of the Navajo Nation.

Information: www.nnhrc.navajo.org or call Public Information Officer Sheree Peshlakai
at (928) 871-7436.