Post by Okwes on Aug 15, 2006 18:26:02 GMT -5
Pueblo leader pushes for changes for American Indians
Joe Garcia, governor of northern New Mexico's Ohkay Owingeh
pueblo and president of the National Congress of American Indians in
Washington, D.C., stands in front of a mural of an eagle at the All
Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque, N.M., Friday, Aug., 11, 2006.
Aside from trying to secure adequate funding for health care, education
and public safety, Garcia said he's pressuring federal officials as they
consider changes to the Telecommunications Act, which he said failed to
mention Indian Country when it was revised in 1996. Related Links
National Congress of American Indians <http://www.ncai.org/>
Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo <http://www.sanjuaned.org/>
By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN | Associated Press
August 12, 2006
www.freenewmexican.com/news/47788.html
<http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/47788.html>
ALBUQUERQUE (AP) - Joe Garcia can't help but take a quick glance down at
his watch.
As the leader of the National Congress of American Indians in
Washington, D.C., every minute is spent talking with tribal officials
from across the country, meeting with lawmakers and representatives of
the federal government and working his way through airport screening
areas as he travels coast to coast.
In one pocket is his cell phone. The other pocket holds pens for jotting
down notes and his Treo, just another electronic lifeline that lets him
answer dozens of e-mails.
"I'm a firm believer that if you manage your time, then you can do 80
percent more than what you're already doing," said Garcia, 53, who took
a break to talk to The Associated Press after a meeting Friday at the
Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque.
Garcia, also the governor of northern New Mexico's Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo,
believes he has an important mission as the leader of the nation's
largest advocacy group for American Indians. He considers NCAI as the
watchdog for Indian Country.
The group, which represents about 275 tribes, monitors federal policy
and coordinates efforts to educate lawmakers about the impacts their
decisions have on Indian communities. Garcia has testified many times
before congressional committees.
More than 10 years ago, Garcia was still fresh to tribal government at
Ohkay Owingeh and didn't know much about NCAI. He attended the group's
annual meeting in San Diego and ended up leaving as an area
representative.
"That took me to the next level of my passion," he said, referring to
his desire to help his people. "I realized then it's not just my pueblo
and not just the pueblos (in New Mexico) that are in dire need. It's the
entire Indian Country that is in dire need.
"Whatever I could do to help, that is basically my passion."
Because of the work of Garcia and other Indian leaders, relationships
with Congress and the White House have improved in recent years. He said
Indians are taking a proactive approach in sharing their concerns and
needs with the federal government.
Aside from trying to secure adequate funding for health care, education
and public safety, Garcia said he's pressuring federal officials as they
consider changes to the Telecommunications Act, which he said failed to
mention Indian Country when it was revised in 1996.
While cities across the nation are reaping the benefits of wireless
networks and fiber optics, many Indian communities remain without
electricity, running water and basic telephone service.
"There is a digital divide. And the closer you are to a remote area, the
more it reinforces your perspective," Garcia said. "If you're at the
White House or in Washington, D.C., you don't see any of that. There is
no digital divide."
The divide exists in Indian Country because people don't acknowledge it,
he said, and if changes are going to be made to the federal law, Indian
communities need to be addressed.
"We've got to be ahead of it," he said. "Otherwise, it's the old system
where we react and we react."
Garcia, retired from an electronics position at Los Alamos National
Laboratory, also said Indian communities need to use technology to their
advantage and create a foundation for their young ones.
"You've got to promote it," he said. "You can't just leave it to
chance."
Joe Garcia, governor of northern New Mexico's Ohkay Owingeh
pueblo and president of the National Congress of American Indians in
Washington, D.C., stands in front of a mural of an eagle at the All
Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque, N.M., Friday, Aug., 11, 2006.
Aside from trying to secure adequate funding for health care, education
and public safety, Garcia said he's pressuring federal officials as they
consider changes to the Telecommunications Act, which he said failed to
mention Indian Country when it was revised in 1996. Related Links
National Congress of American Indians <http://www.ncai.org/>
Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo <http://www.sanjuaned.org/>
By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN | Associated Press
August 12, 2006
www.freenewmexican.com/news/47788.html
<http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/47788.html>
ALBUQUERQUE (AP) - Joe Garcia can't help but take a quick glance down at
his watch.
As the leader of the National Congress of American Indians in
Washington, D.C., every minute is spent talking with tribal officials
from across the country, meeting with lawmakers and representatives of
the federal government and working his way through airport screening
areas as he travels coast to coast.
In one pocket is his cell phone. The other pocket holds pens for jotting
down notes and his Treo, just another electronic lifeline that lets him
answer dozens of e-mails.
"I'm a firm believer that if you manage your time, then you can do 80
percent more than what you're already doing," said Garcia, 53, who took
a break to talk to The Associated Press after a meeting Friday at the
Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque.
Garcia, also the governor of northern New Mexico's Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo,
believes he has an important mission as the leader of the nation's
largest advocacy group for American Indians. He considers NCAI as the
watchdog for Indian Country.
The group, which represents about 275 tribes, monitors federal policy
and coordinates efforts to educate lawmakers about the impacts their
decisions have on Indian communities. Garcia has testified many times
before congressional committees.
More than 10 years ago, Garcia was still fresh to tribal government at
Ohkay Owingeh and didn't know much about NCAI. He attended the group's
annual meeting in San Diego and ended up leaving as an area
representative.
"That took me to the next level of my passion," he said, referring to
his desire to help his people. "I realized then it's not just my pueblo
and not just the pueblos (in New Mexico) that are in dire need. It's the
entire Indian Country that is in dire need.
"Whatever I could do to help, that is basically my passion."
Because of the work of Garcia and other Indian leaders, relationships
with Congress and the White House have improved in recent years. He said
Indians are taking a proactive approach in sharing their concerns and
needs with the federal government.
Aside from trying to secure adequate funding for health care, education
and public safety, Garcia said he's pressuring federal officials as they
consider changes to the Telecommunications Act, which he said failed to
mention Indian Country when it was revised in 1996.
While cities across the nation are reaping the benefits of wireless
networks and fiber optics, many Indian communities remain without
electricity, running water and basic telephone service.
"There is a digital divide. And the closer you are to a remote area, the
more it reinforces your perspective," Garcia said. "If you're at the
White House or in Washington, D.C., you don't see any of that. There is
no digital divide."
The divide exists in Indian Country because people don't acknowledge it,
he said, and if changes are going to be made to the federal law, Indian
communities need to be addressed.
"We've got to be ahead of it," he said. "Otherwise, it's the old system
where we react and we react."
Garcia, retired from an electronics position at Los Alamos National
Laboratory, also said Indian communities need to use technology to their
advantage and create a foundation for their young ones.
"You've got to promote it," he said. "You can't just leave it to
chance."