Native American

Let’s Talk New Mexico 10/21 8am: It’s still unclear exactly how many cases there are in New Mexico of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women & Relatives. People from Arizona and Utah are also wondering about what happened to their family members since tribal jurisdictions hit heads with federal, state, tribal and city investigators. Even though public officials express concern, the families of people gone missing or found dead have experienced ineptitude by the criminal legal system and police, who have said that jurisdiction issues can impede their efforts.

Tribal communities in New Mexico have been hit especially hard by the coronavirus, due to deep social and economic disparities resulting from colonization. Now, the pandemic threatens to make those disparities worse by hindering the 2020 Census count that will affect how much federal funding goes to tribes over the next decade. Shaun Griswold, urban Indigenous reporter with New Mexico In Depth, reports tribes are playing catch-up after public health shutdowns along with geography and other factors have led to low Census response rates so far. He told KUNM’s Hannah Colton that an undercount could mean a difference of millions of federal dollars going to basics like housing and education.   

Studies about kidney disease in the United States have historically left out Native Americans, but a pair of researchers at the University of New Mexico have won a $3.5 million grant that they hope will make way for more equity in health care research. 

Officers from 18 Native American law enforcement agencies from across the country met at the Santa Ana Star Casino last month to do a week-long training. It's designed for conservation officers who do things like police remote areas and protect wildlife.

 As many as 800,000 federal employees aren’t getting paid during the partial government shutdown. And at least one local tribe is feeling those effects.

Native Americans have long objected to their treatment by popular culture. They're often not represented at all, and when they are, they're cast as sidekicks or caricatures. So Native people are working to tell their own stories in films and comics.

Recently, many of these makers gathered for the second annual Indigenous Comic Con at Isleta Resort & Casino near Albuquerque.

New Mexico’s flagship university has received a $7 million grant to open a new behavioral health center. Researchers will work directly with people in communities dealing with addiction and mental health issues. 

New Mexico has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the nation, and now that the Trump Administration has slashed funding for teen pregnancy prevention projects, researchers here say it’s like the rug has been pulled out from under them.

Police violence against people of color has been at the forefront of national debate in recent months. And in New Mexico, a group advocating for indigenous concerns called the Red Nation has been active on this issue since the killing of James Boyd two years ago.

Terry Trujillo’s family has been facing an ordeal that would be familiar to a surprising number of Americans. Holding back tears, she remembers the moment she had to explain to her adopted nephew that his severe learning disabilities, memory problems and behavior issues were the result of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.

“The little boy would say ‘Well what’s that, what do you mean?’ And it’s hard to sit there and tell a child it means that your mother drank alcohol while you were in her stomach, and to see their face. Because they know it’s wrong,” Trujillo said.

KUNM Call In Show 8/14 8a: The recent brutal murders of two Navajo men in Albuquerque have brought questions about homelessness in New Mexico into the national spotlight. We'll take a look at what policy and social changes are needed to improve the health and well-being of people without shelter.

We'd like to hear from you! Email callinshow@kunm.org, post your comments online, or call in live during the show. 

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