Kimberly Tehee: A voice for Indian Country
Kimberly Teehee, White House policy advisor for Native American affairs
Parade Magazine did a quick Q&A with May 30 with Kimberly Teehee, 41. She is a member of the Cherokee Nation and the first White House senior policy adviser for Native American affairs.Why did President Obama create your position?Indian Country suffers from so many socioeconomic challenges: the unemployment rate, infrastructure needs, health care, a high crime rate. Those things were not being addressed adequately. Tribal nations should have a voice at the table whenever policy decisions are made.What are you working on now?Job creation is a huge priority: Unemployment rates on some reservations are as high as 80%. We’re also working to modify and strengthen the criminal-justice system that operates in Indian territory. And we’re working with the First Lady’s “Let’s Move” campaign to address obesity: As many as 50% of American Indians suffer from it. Indian Country has great needs, but our future is far from bleak—more than $3 billion was directed to Indian tribes through the Recovery Act, and the 2011 budget provides a 5% increase over 2010.Do you speak Cherokee?Not fluently. My parents were part of a federal relocation program, so I was born in Chicago. We moved back to Oklahoma when I was young. My family is of modest means, but we have a great love of community—the bond of what it is to be Cherokee.
— Maura Kelly
Jodi Rave
Jodi Rave Spotted Bear
(Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation)Founder & Editor in Chief
Spoken Languages: English
Topic Expertise: Federal trust relationship with American Indians; Indigenous issues ranging from spirituality and environment to education and land rights
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