Weekly News Summary, December 13-19 - Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe

THIS WEEK'S NEWS

Biden nominates Haaland for Secretary of the Interior

On December 4, a group of Native women urged President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris to nominate Representative Deb Haaland for the post of Secretary of the Interior. On Thursday, December 17, it became official: Haaland is the first Native American nominated for a cabinet post and if confirmed will be the first Native American to oversee the department that has the most impact on the lives of Indigenous Americans. To read the letters signed by Native women, including Chief Executive Melanie Benjamin, see https://millelacsband.com/news/native-women-call-for-indigenous-representation-in-biden-administration.

For more on Representative Haaland, and the reaction from Indian Country, see https://indiancountrytoday.com/news/happy-tears-indian-country-cheers-interior-pick-npyb7DzZhEe-EzqHbtICYg.

Vaccines begin to arrive at Mille Lacs

The first doses of COVID-19 vaccine began arriving at Mille Lacs on December 15. Vaccines will go first to our Elders in assisted living units and then to Elders with the most compromised immune systems, followed by front-line health care staff. Watch Facebook and millelacsband.com for updates. Chief Executive Melanie Benjamin was among the first to receive the vaccine. For a video of her experience, see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0o8HrTdAFIg.

https://www.millelacsband.com/news/weekly-news-summary-december-13-19