Native American groups are now joining the call for reparations centuries after hundreds of tribes had land taken from them by ‘land-grab universities and colleges.’ An estimated 10.7 million acres of land was taken from 250 tribes following the signing of the Morrill Act by President Abraham Lincoln in 1862. This law converted tribal lands into initial sites for land-grant higher education institutions in many states. Institutions such as the University of Minnesota, which received 94,440 acres of land, and Cornell University in New York that received more than 987,000 acres are being targeted. Cornell, in total, received land in 15 states – all at prices far below fair market value.
History was made when Vice President Kamala Harris visited the ancestral lands of the Akimel O’odham and Piipaash peoples on the Gila River Indian Reservation, south of Phoenix, on July 6th. Vice President Harris’ visit to the Gila River Indian Community marks the first visit from a sitting president or vice president for the Indigenous nation. The vice president made the trip to Gila River, with an invite from Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, as part of the Investing in America Tour. Addressing the crowd at the Gila Crossing Community School south of Phoenix, the vice president highlighted the Biden-Harris Administration’s recent investments in tribal nations, particularly those to address the climate crisis and support Native-owned small businesses.
Those are your headlines at this hour. I’m Colette Keith in the KIPI News center.
