Shea Vassar

NOA’s Recent Trip to Wind River

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The Native Organizers Alliance Training Team recently traveled to Wind River Indian Reservation to conduct a pre-training visit in preparation for the upcoming May training session in partnership with the Greater Yellowstone Coalition. This visit is an integral part of our protocol, aimed at engaging with the community to better understand local issues and how we can tailor our training to meet the specific needs of the community.

 

Judith Le Blanc (Caddo) and Lonnie Provost (Dakota) have worked with Wes Martel at the Greater Yellowstone Coalition for numerous years on issues around water and land protections,  Tribal sovereignty, and allowing Native voices to have a say in National Parks such as Yellowstone National Park.

 

Last November, Wes reached out to NOA. He updated the team about the Pilot Butte Conveyance Act that was being introduced by Wyoming Senator John Barrasso. The community formed a coalition to address the issue and organized meetings and protests at Senator Barrasso’s office.

 

The visit yielded valuable insights into the dynamics of the unique ecosystem, culture and protocols of the Wind River community. Feedback from local community members highlighted the importance of incorporating treaties, sovereignty, Tribal governance, advocacy and organizing tools into our training.

The team also learned about the significance of buffalo in Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapahoe culture, emphasizing the need for a respectful and informed approach to conservation that honors traditional practices. This aligns with our commitment to ecological efforts but also acknowledges the cultural identity of the community.

 

These upcoming trainings, starting with the first later this month, will be a series of trainings that Native Organizers Alliance will hold in partnership with the Greater Yellowstone Coalition and the community on Wind River Indian Reservation to further support the community’s efforts to organize.

 

This pre-training site visit was a crucial step in building trust and understanding with the Wind River community. Moving forward, it is essential that we integrate the feedback and perspectives gathered during this visit into the training. By doing so, we can ensure that our initiatives not only support ecological objectives but also empower indigenous voices and enhance cultural resilience.

Shea Vassar

Transgender Day of Visibility 2025

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Honoring and uplifting our Two Spirit relatives is not just an act of support — it is a return to our original ways and a vital part of re-Indigenizing our society.

 

Since time immemorial, Native peoples have recognized, honored, and protected our Two Spirit people, who have always held sacred roles in our societies. Many Tribes saw them as closely connected to the divine, as healers, and as vital members of our nations. While the term “Two Spirit” is more recent, around two-thirds of our Indigenous languages on Turtle Island have long had words to recognize and affirm more than two genders.

 

However, colonization brought gender violence that sought to erase these identities and their contributions. This legacy of harm continues today, with ongoing discrimination, violence, and systemic barriers impacting the health and safety of our Two Spirit and Indigenous LGBTQIA+ relatives.

 

Despite these attempts at erasure, Two Spirit people are a visible presence and power, and their contributions to our communities persist.

 

Re-Indigenizing our society means reclaiming what was stolen—our languages, our governance, and the value of our relatives. It means uplifting the stories, truths, and existence of our Two Spirit relatives, ensuring they are safe, celebrated, and fully included in our communities.

 

Now more than ever, we must not only celebrate our Two Spirit and transgender relatives but also actively counter disinformation, discrimination, and hate. Uplifting their voices, advocating for their safety, and restoring their rightful place in our communities is how we honor our ancestors and uphold our traditional Indigenous values of honoring all life.

Shea Vassar

Trump Rolls Back Biden Order Strengthening Tribal Sovereignty

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Move is “a huge setback for federal-tribal relations”

New York, NY — President Trump revoked an executive order signed by former President Joe Biden directing federal agencies to strengthen tribal sovereignty and address how the agencies carry out their duty to consult with Tribal nations. The following statement from Judith LeBlanc (Caddo), executive director of Native Organizers Alliance and NOA Action Fund, can be quoted in part or in full. 

“The actions by the Trump administration to roll back an order to strengthen Tribal sovereignty, that hundreds of Tribal nations and tens of thousands of Americans called for, is a direct attack on our sovereignty and a huge setback for federal-tribal relations. 

 

President Biden issued this executive order in response to demands by sovereign nations, Native organizations, and thousands of Americans, to do more to protect and uphold Tribal sovereignty. For too long, federal agencies have done too little or nothing at all in their essential role of consulting and engaging with Tribes. As sovereign nations, Tribes have the right to determine how lands are used and developed but too often the federal agencies charged with consulting with Tribes about their ancestral homelands did the bare minimum, or nothing at all, to ensure that tribes  had a say in the future of their lands and people. This is in violation of the inherent and constitutional rights of tribes to make decisions about their lands and the well-being of tribal members. 

 

In recent years, there has been significant progress in strengthening the federal-tribal relationship. In rolling back this order, President Trump is not only acting in opposition to the will of tens of thousands of Americans, he is setting back the significant progress that has been made in strengthening Tribal sovereignty. 

 

While the Trump administration may have decided against the will of the American people by rolling back this executive order, it is critical to note that this does not change the fact that the Trump administration and all federal agencies are still required to consult with and engage Tribes on matters that impact Tribal members and Tribal lands and resources. That has not changed, and neither has the Constitution.

 

Indian Country will be watching to ensure that the rights of sovereign nations are upheld and sovereignty is respected.”

 

### 

 

Contact: 

Ruby Stacey, Pyramid Communications

rstacey@pyramidcommunications.com

360.565.6956 cell 

Shea Vassar

Welcome home, Leonard

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In one of the last acts of his presidency, President Biden freed Leonard Peltier — a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians and the longest serving Native political prisoner in U.S. history. And today, February 18, 2025, Leonard was was released from federal prison.This is thanks in no small part to our collective activism, sending hundreds of thousands of messages to the White House urging the president to act on behalf of freedom and justice. With your help, NOA was able to send 135,491 letters asking for Leonard’s freedom and gather 142,184 petition signatures. Our hearts are full for Leonard Peltier, his family, and all of Indian Country as he is finally granted freedom after nearly 50 years behind bars.

Leonard Peltier

photo by Angel White Eyes / NDN Collective

Leonard’s incarceration came to symbolize the injustices Native peoples face in defending our lands and civil and inherent rights. His resilience has stood as a testament to the enduring strength of Native peoples in the face of systemic racism and oppression. Throughout his incarceration, Leonard remained unwavering in his commitment to defending Indigenous rights. He has inspired activists worldwide to stand up to governments and systems that marginalize people of color.

His lifelong advocacy for Native rights and justice will continue encouraging Indigenous activists for generations. Today, we celebrate not just Leonard’s long overdue freedom, but an Indigenous movement he helped create.

Over the past nearly 50 years, international leaders including Pope Francis, Saint Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela, the Dalai Lama, and Coretta Scott King have called for Leonard Peltier’s release.

Our activism, alongside generations of leaders, led seven U.S. senators and 26 representatives to sign a letter late last year urging President Biden to grant clemency. And our calls for action led to this moment.

Shea Vassar

Trump Questions Native Peoples’ Birthright Citizenship

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Actions are “Unconstitutional” and “A Continued Attack on Sovereign Nations”

The Trump administration has challenged the birthright citizenship of Native peoples in Court. The following statement is from Judith LeBlanc (Caddo), executive director of Native Organizers Alliance and NOA Action Fund:

The actions by the Trump administration to challenge the birthright citizenship of Native Americans is outrageous and unconstitutional.

This is a continued attack by this administration on sovereign nations. During his first term, Trump repeatedly took actions to attempt to diminish Tribal sovereignty and our inherent right to make decisions affecting the welfare of our people and the health of our lands, waters, and natural resources. During the campaign, his running mate called Indigenous Peoples Day a ‘fake holiday’ and mocked our two-spirit relatives. 

This is another racist attack on Native peoples who are the original inhabitants of this country and who pay taxes and serve in the military at a higher rate than any other demographic and have served in every war since the American Revolution.

Over the past several years, we have reclaimed our power in Indian Country and made huge gains in protecting our people and our sacred, ancestral lands. Due to the actions of Native organizers and Tribal nations, we fought for and won greater representation at all levels of government. We fought for the appointment of Deb Haaland as Secretary of Interior. We have also made gains at the polls. In 2020, we worked on the ground in key states to drive the largest Native voter turnout in history. 

We will not be bullied by an administration that seeks to diminish our rights as American citizens. We are mobilized and ready for any fight ahead.

Jennifer Fairbanks

NOA Celebrates the Decision to Pause the Magellan Pipeline

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Jennifer Fairbanks

Biden Designates Sacred Lands in California as National Monuments

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