(The author is a Latino consultant for American Values 2024)
New York: Robert F. Kennedy, an independent candidate supported by the American Values 2024 Super Pac, has presented a series of 12 priorities or policies for his government that will begin on January 20, 2024, if elected by the American people.
“These conditions cannot exist in the United States.” Robert F Kennedy said after seeing the impoverished living conditions on the Pine Ridge Reservation.
Robert F Kennedy Jr. inherited from his father a deep commitment to improving the lives of Native Americans. Like his father, he views poverty and suffering in Indian Country as our Country’s greatest shame and believes the federal government’s unfair dealings and broken treaties with tribal nations are our nation’s original sin.
After accompanying his father on campaign trips to reservations across the Country, RFK Jr. was inspired to focus a significant portion of his career on representing the interests of Native Americans in the United States, Canada and Latin America. He has defended these early Americans in court and treaty negotiations; He has fought for them against the forces of the mining, logging, hydroelectric and oil industries that attempt to steal their resources and destroy their lands and tribal culture. RFK Jr. has been on the front lines of recent battles in Indian Country: he joined water protectors at Standing Rock and was arrested while protesting the Keystone XL pipeline.
“Under our administration, historical wrongs committed against Native Americans will be addressed and corrected. Both the spirit and the letter of treaties must be respected as the supreme law of the land: documents entered into between sovereign nations. Cultural renewal will be supported, and religious practices and sacred places will be defended. Tribal sovereignty and the right to self-determination will be respected. The need for restoration of illegally taken lands and resources, reparations for broken treaties, and protection and enhancement of natural resources in Indian Country will be elevated to the status of matters of national concern and review. The tribes will have a friend and ally in the White House,” Kennedy promised in his tenth proposal.
While we know some of the issues in Indian Country, we will partner with Native American leaders to learn more and find solutions. The federal government must do everything possible to create a better life for all Americans, especially those who have been reprehensibly abandoned. We will seek to restore trust between Native Americans and the federal government and work hard to deserve it. We believe it is not enough to apologize for past injustices (or even try to rectify them); We need to prevent current and future injustices.
Source: Kennedy 24
