. SecDebHaaland discusses what her historic role — the first Native American to lead the Department of the Interior and the first Native person to hold any Cabinet position — means to her and how she plans to use it. ⤵️
went viral. Small moments like this remind us that Haaland is bigger than her title. She is long-awaited Indigenous representation in a country where it is severely lacking.
When I sat down to talk to Haaland on Zoom I wanted to know what this historic role meant to her — and how she planned to use it. Our conversation has been lightly edited for length and clarity. Rebecca Nagle: As a Native woman, you've made history twice — as one of the first Native women elected to Congress and now as the first Native person ever to be a Cabinet member. The Department of the Interior that you now lead historically has done a lot of harm to tribes and tribal citizens. What does it mean to you, as a citizen of Laguna Pueblo and as a Native woman, for this department to finally have Native leadership?” when it comes to Native Americans.
I want to make sure that I have a voice at the table. And that it's not my voice — it's everyone's voice. And that means making sure that tribes have a true seat at the table. That we're listening to them. That we are taking their ideas and turning them into action. What it means to me is that we're in a new era where tribes are heard.
RN: One of the harmful policies that the interior carried out was the boarding school era. Recently, after First Nations in Canada announced the discovery of the
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