Political Quotes

“for those of us who are parents, we should want to make sure all of our children have the same opportunities as other children. This starts with a quality education, a safe and secure home, access to quality health care, and a community free of violence. These are deeply important issues. But too often, talk about protecting our Native children is left out of the conversation. Native children are too often considered ``them'' and not part of ``us.'' That needs to change--in fact, it must change. Unfortunately, for children in our nation's tribal communities, opportunities for success are often out of reach. As a result, Native children are sadly the most at-risk population in the country and face serious disparities. The Federal Government has a trust responsibility to provide for the education, health, and safety of Native children. But for far too long, we have failed to live up to this promise. We are failing by not keeping them safe, healthy, or providing them with educational opportunities necessary to reach their full potential. Native children have the third highest rate of being abused. They are overrepresented in foster care, more than 2.1 times the general population. Child mortality has increased 15 percent among Native children, while the rate among all American children has decreased by 9 percent since 2000. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among Native young adults ages 15 to 24 years old, 2.5 times the national average.…”