I am writing today to announce the closure of the New Mexico Independent. After three and a half years of operation in New Mexico, the board of the American Independent News Network, has decided to shift publication of its news…
While environmental activists played their part yesterday during demonstrations at the capitol building, going so far as to dress up as solar panels and to sing the tune of “You Are My Sunshine,” their counterparts, the anti-cap-and-trade contingency who has…
Roughly one quarter of University of New Mexico students are unimpressed with the state’s flagship public school, according to a survey that questioned college students about their higher education experiences.
In her quest to be the next president of the country’s largest American Indian tribe, New Mexico State Senator Lynda Lovejoy grapples with a question no man has faced before: Doesn’t Navajo tradition say that women should not lead the tribe?
In this election cycle on the Navajo Nation, this question is getting prominent debate, with some saying women’s traditional place is in the home caring for their families. Others, including her competitor—Vice President Ben Shelly—say that the only thing that matters is whether someone can govern.
Asked about the issue at a debate last night at Arizona State University, Lovejoy argued that gender shouldn’t be an issue, saying “…in this day and age I believe in equal opportunity for all. … If a Dine woman can excel and is armed with capabilities, why should we be denied that opportunity and that chance?”
Navajo Nation Vice President Ben Shelly, her opponent, agreed, saying it’s only about qualifications.
“Is she or he qualified to be a leader?” he asked. “This is not a question of gender, it’s a question of leadership.”
The Navajo Nation elections will be held on November 2nd.
