About Prez on the Rez and INDN's List Education Fund

The INDN's List Education Fund is a 501(c)(4) not for profit corporation founded in 2006 whose mission is to "promote the social welfare, and economic and social improvement and empowerment of American Indians by advocating policies and legislation at the federal, state, and local level that promote the interests of American Indians by focusing the interest and attention of elected officials and candidates on issues of concern to American Indians."

In 2007, ILEF will undertake two major projects, Prez on the Rez and the Native American Network (NAN).

Prez on the Rez, the initial project of ILEF, will bring Democratic candidates for President of the United States to an Indian Reservation for a historic forum to discuss issues important to American Indians. Tribal leaders and tribal citizens from all across the country will participate. This historic event is tentatively scheduled for August of 2007.

The Native American Network (NAN) project will be an ongoing effort to build political power at the grassroots level in Indian Country throughout America. Registering voters and turning them out on Election Day will be a major part of NAN's efforts, but the ultimate goal of this project is to consolidate the political power garnered through the voting process and develop it into the ability to advocate for positive change in Indian Country on an ongoing basis. NAN was founded with the idea that the challenges facing Indian Country will continue to be neglected by our political leaders until Indians become an active force in their American democracy. It's time we change the dynamic and begin to exercise the power we wield through the voting process and finally have our issues become an important part of the agenda.

The initial phase of NAN will focus on key reservations in key battleground states, thereby giving American Indians the power to not only elect our own tribal members, but also have a determining voice in who our leaders will be at all levels of government.

The INDN's List Education Fund promises to be a powerful tool in leveraging the vote of American Indians to affect real, positive change both in Indian Country and for all Americans.

What is Prez on the Rez?

This historic event, hosted by the INDN's List Education Fund, will bring candidates seeking the Democratic nomination for President of the United States to an Indian Reservation to meet with hundreds of Elected Tribal Leaders and hundreds more tribal citizens from all across America!

All of the Elected Tribal Leaders, including Chiefs, Presidents, Chairmen and their Councils, Legislatures, Congress and Business Committees from all federally recognized tribes will be invited to attend the forum.

The Forum will be followed by a private reception for all of the Presidential candidates and the Elected Tribal Leaders. With limited exception, we know that all 46 American Indian Democrats serving in state legislatures from Washington to Pennsylvania will be at the Forum and Reception as well.

The event will command national media attention from publications and broadcasters such as Indian Country Today, Native America Calling, the Native American Times, and the American Indian Report. The unprecedented nature of the event and the gathering of all the Democratic candidates in one location in front of hundreds of leaders representing dozens of Indian Nations is sure to draw mainstream national media coverage as well.

Why Support Prez on the Rez?

The first major event sponsored by the INDN's List Education Fund, Prez on the Rez is a forum for Democratic presidential candidates on contemporary issues and challenges facing Indian Country as well as the American people as a whole.

Tribes and tribal leaders have played key roles in determining elections all across the nation, from Washington to Pennsylvania to Minnesota. Key battleground states, including New Mexico, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Washington, are home to significant Indian populations. Additionally, three early Primary states, Nevada, Oklahoma and Michigan, (also a key General Election state), have significant Indian populations.

The resources, advice, and votes that Indian Nations offer can be leveraged in support of a prosperous Indian Country and the interests of American families. With Indian Tribes flexing their political muscle, wading into presidential politics and making early endorsements to their respective tribal citizens in the early months of the primaries, we believe that "Prez on the Rez" can play a key role in motivating voters from their tribes.

More important than the political wisdom of seeking the support of Indian voters and tribal leaders is the responsibility our national leaders have to join the conversation with our First Americans. Yet conmen like Jack Abramoff have proven that their concern for Indians extends only so far as Indians can be exploited for financial and political gain in measures that serve only to keep Indians tragically behind. The families of Indian Country face poverty, unemployment, substandard housing and healthcare, and a lack of educational opportunity that is entirely unmatched by any other segment of the American population. Yet tribes are working hard to counter this tragedy of economic inequality and political exploitation by seeking to build prosperous communities and by establishing a voice in our democracy.

The American voters made 2006 a year of change. American Indians know that 2008 promises to be a year of opportunity. Indian Country is excited about this historic occasion. Tribal Leaders recognize Prez on the Rez as an opportunity to engage in a dialogue with the candidates for the Democratic nomination on how to ensure that Indian Country is a part of the future prosperity of this nation. This presidential election marks an unprecedented opportunity for Democratic presidential candidates to demonstrate conclusively that they will fight for tribal needs and resources and that Indians are welcome in the halls of power at all levels across the country.

More than ever before, Indians are speaking. Will our political leaders listen?