Sign-on to Support Deb Haaland for Secretary of the Interior

We are a national coalition of women of color leaders and organizers who fully support the confirmation of Congresswoman Deb Haaland as Secretary of the Department of the Interior.

The Department of Interior must finally be led by someone who represents the communities it impacts most. Congresswoman Deb Haaland is that person. We call for her swift and just appointment as Secretary of the Department of the Interior.

Women of color mobilized like never before this past election and delivered the White House, the Senate, and down-ballot seats throughout the country. We overcame blatant attempts to silence and discount us through voter suppression, intimidation, and disinformation. And yet we overcame, and in states such as Georgia and Arizona, we showed the true power of our coalition. Our demand has been clear - we want representation to lead our country forward. We condemn the efforts to block our representation through unfounded attacks against Congresswoman Haaland. To be clear: We did not deliver the election only to be marginalized once again. 

Congresswoman Haaland is without question the most qualified person in our country’s history to be nominated for this role. 

The Department of the Interior’s mission is to conserve and manage the our country’s natural resources and cultural heritage, provide scientific and other information about natural resources and natural hazards to address societal challenges and create opportunities for the American people, and honor the nation’s trust responsibilities or special commitments to American Indians, Alaska Natives, and affiliated island communities to help the communities prosper. 

This means upholding the treaty and trust responsibilities to the 574 federally recognized tribes in the United States. These tribal nations comprise more than 5.2 million Alaska Natives and American Indians, whose people have suffered unimaginable injustices in our country’s history. No other elected official has the skills, the deep understanding, and the lived experience needed to inform the daily decisions and actions of the Department of Interior that directly impact tribal communities. 

Congresswoman Haaland represents all of us. She stands for the multicultural democracy we want to see in this country and that we continue to fight for every day. She has proven that she can lead through her various positions in Congress: vice chair for the House Committee on Natural Resources; chair of the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands; member of Indigenous Peoples Subcommittee and the House Armed Services Committee; and co-chair of the Native American Caucus. 

Her leadership role on the House Natural Resources Committee has positioned her to streamline renewable energy production on public lands and ocean, and to protect our parks and wildlife. She is behind a landmark commitment in the Biden-Harris climate plan to conserve at least 30 percent of America’s land and water by the end of the decade. Time and time again, she has been consistent in championing for our environment, Native Americans, public safety, health care for all--issues that directly and disproportionately impact women of color.