Myron Lizer, vice president of the Navajo Nation, spoke on the second night of the Republican National Convention on Aug. 25, 2020.
Transcript
[Navajo Language] I’m Myron Lizer, the Vice-President of the Navajo Nation. I give this address from the majestic rock spires of Shiprock, Tsé BitʼaʼÃ, or Rock with Wings, as known by our Dene people. It is here as well, that many of our ancestral leaders sought to govern and lead a nation within a nation. They sought to lead their people into the promises of a better way of life for their children’s children. It is also where they have not been as successful as the rest of America. Our First Nations people, the host people of the land, we are still here. Our creator placed us here and knew, for such a time as this, we would have an opportunity for an appeal to heaven. You see, our people have never been invited into the American dream. We, for years fought congressional battles with past congressmen and senators, that were part of a broken system that ignored us.
That is, until president Trump took office. President Trump delivered the largest financial funding package ever to Indian country. The $8 billion in CARE Act funding to Indian country was a great start in alleviating the devastating effects that the COVID-19 pandemic has inflicted on our Indian tribes. The Navajo nation once led the nation in per-capita positive cases, because of the health disparities that previous administrations failed to improve. Whenever we meet with President Trump, he has always made it a priority to repair the relationship with our federal family. Recently, President Trump signed the first- ever presidential proclamation, officially recognizing, missing and murdered American Indians and Alaska natives.
He established a taskforce called Operation Lady Justice, to address the problem. The president also provided $273 million to improve public safety and support victims of crime in the Native American community. As a result, a cold-case office was recently opened on the Gila River Indian community. The president has reactivated the White House Council on Native American Affairs, to promote economic development and rural prosperity in the Indian country. President Trump also strengthened the Supreme Court by nominating strong conservative judges like Neil Gorsuch, who supports Native American rights. Thank you for the opportunity to be here tonight. I’m excited to endorse President Trump’s reelection and Mr. President, we look forward to hosting you very soon. Come visit our land, we call it Dinehtah.
[Navajo Language] Thank you, very much.
