Deb Haaland ran in the Boston Marathon this year. The 125th Boston Marathon, to be exact. The race was run on Indigenous People’s Day. Deb Haaland didn’t race in the hopes of winning; she raced to remember Indigenous People’s Day, and to honor those who came before her.
Running the Boston Marathon to remember Indigenous Peoples’ Day (by Deb Haaland in the Boston Globe)
My feet will pound the ancestral homelands of the Massachusett, the Mashpee Wampanoag, and the Pawtucket people and will follow in the footsteps of Indigenous runners who have participated in this race over its 125-year history.
…
Indigenous Peoples’ Day is also a day when we remember the sacrifices of our ancestors and their survival during the dark eras of colonization and assimilation — eras in which Native Americans suffered atrocities that manifest themselves in health disparities, lack of basic infrastructure, the missing and murdered Indigenous peoples’ crisis, and so much more.
…
On this special day, I will run for missing and murdered Indigenous peoples and their families, the victims of Indian boarding schools, and the promise that our voices are being heard and will have a part in an equitable and just future in this new era.
…
I will run for Tom Longboat, Tarzan Brown, and Patti Dillon because they paved a path for me. It’s a path that has led me to serve in the Biden-Harris administration as the first Native American cabinet secretary in US history. This administration made a commitment to honor our country’s promises to Indigenous communities.
…
At the Interior Department, we contribute to the Biden administration’s work to build back better through our work centering Indigenous traditional knowledge in our climate policies; through our Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples unit and implementation of the Not Invisible Act; through our Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative to help communities heal from longstanding intergenerational trauma; and by restoring tribal homelands.
Deb Haaland is an inspiration.
We can’t all be Deb Haaland, or Stacey Abrams, but we all have a part to play, if we are willing to do it.
Can we use this thread to celebrate all the women who are making such a big difference in this fight to save our nation from white supremacism and authoritarianism?
Baud
I nominate WaterGirl.
Sure Lurkalot
@Baud: Good choice!
ETA: I came in second for seconding!
dr. bloor
Nice piece focusing on Ellison (Tarzan) Brown in the Globe today as well.
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/10/13/metro/ri-slow-recognize-ellison-tarzan-brown-indigenous-boston-marathon-runner-who-broke-johnny-kelleys-heart-heartbreak-hill/
Benw
@Baud: @Sure Lurkalot: Fuckin A
Benw
Speaking of the Boston marathon, Shalane Flanagan is an all time great American distance runner and genuinely rad person. She’s retired but trying to run the 6 major marathons this season. Her times so far:
Berlin 9/26 2:38:32
London 10/3 2:35:04
Chicago 10/10 2:46:39
Boston 10/11 (1 day rest!!!!) 2:40:34
Next up: Tokyo 10/17. Holy shit.
Immanentize
I know this is not totally on topic, but Connie Schultz’s husband (she is awesome) just endorsed Tim Ryan for Senate in Ohio. Kay (who is also awesome) will be happy.
And I agree Watergirl is awesome.
Baud
@Immanentize: This is for the primary, right? Seems like a no-brainer for the general.
Miss Bianca
My late sister. 1948-2021: Artist , educator, feminist, and activist.
From her obituary:
Huge, formative inspiration for me coming up. Now she’s gone. Damn. But she sure was excited about Deb Haaland, tell you that. I think she actually knew her, or knew of her – she was pretty involved in NM pueblo affairs, working at the Indian School and all.
Betty
Sorry to trouble you, Watergirl, but do you have information about why some browsers started requiring us to reload the site after a few minutes? This started yesterday on my Kindle.
Immanentize
@Baud: Yes that’s a primary endorsement. Really shutting down some pretenders.
WaterGirl
@Immanentize: I think Connie Schultz is amazing! Love her.
Betty
@Miss Bianca: What an inspiration. Thanks for sharing that.
WaterGirl
@Immanentize: This is an Open thread. :-)
Immanentize
@Miss Bianca: So sorry about your sister — but so nice that you have strong, impressive people in you. Multitudes even.
Immanentize
@WaterGirl: they all are…. Except the ones that aren’t. ?
UncleEbeneezer
Since this is an OT: WaterGirl, check your email :)
C Stars
I dunno if this counts, but my friend Andrea who has two kids and a lot of other things on her plate, has been organizing almost nonstop since Trump was elected. She’s a founding member of two activist organizations here in the Bay Area that seek to support downticket politicians in swing districts, whose presence will make a real difference when issues like redistricting come up. Seems like a super smart approach to me and also I can’t believe she holds weekly phone banks at her house WHILE her small children are running around. All but one of the candidates her organizations have supported have been elected to office. I’ve done some textbanking and fundraising with her but for the most part my family takes up all my time. I try to support her by doubling my recipe and delivering dinners for her family on the days I know she’s busy with her political work.
Geminid
Deb Haaland is another member of the talented House Class of 2018. Among many others, Andy Kim, Joe Neguse, Chrissy Houlihan, Jahana Hayes, and Haaland’s Native sister Sharice Davids entered Congress that year. I think many of these capable people will follow Haaland into higher office.
Geminid
@Miss Bianca: I am very sorry about your loss. Your sister will be missed by many.
Kathleen
@Sure Lurkalot: Third. Thanks WaterGirl.
Kathleen
@Miss Bianca: My condolences Miss Bianca. Thank you for sharing that lovely tribute.
Betty
@Geminid: Madeleine Dean, from Pennsylvania, like Chrissie, is excellent as well. Served on the second impeachment committee.
WaterGirl
@Betty: no idea. What browsers? Does it only happen on. Certain posts? Are others seeing the same thing?
Kathleen
@Geminid: Lauren Underwood also.
WaterGirl
Headed to a meeting for 90 minutes. FYI
Geminid
Deb Haaland gave birth to her daughter Somah four days after graduating from the University of New Mexico at age 24. Life as a single mom was economically precarious. She eventually was able to go to the University of New Mexico School of Law and graduated at age 46. She was chairman of the New Mexico Democratic party before winning the seat vacated by Michelle Luhan Grisham for her successful run for Governor in 2018.
Kathleen
@Baud: I didn’t even know he had opponent in primary until I read this. I had to google it. FFS
Kathleen
@Geminid: Evidently she started running 20 years ago.
Geminid
@Kathleen: Yes. I left her out, but Underwood is very talented and hard working and has already accomplished a lot. Flipping her Chicagoland seat was a heavy lift; she won reelection by only a few thousand votes.
Kathleen
@Geminid: Yup. She had that recount cloud over her head but she stayed focused on crafting legislation. I think she’s amazing.
Miss Bianca
@C Stars: She counts!
gwangung
There’s one of my many crushes in the arts world: Brooke Ishibashi, who’s part of a family of Japanese American artists and activists (you may have caught her sister, Brittany, on Hulu’s Marvel adaption Runaways) .
Her big thing is organizing and lobbying Congress to support arts workers during the pandemic.
She’s fortunate she and I don’t live in the same town.
Dan B
A classmate of mine was the strongest kid in Junior High. He’d had polio and regained the strength of his legs in physical therapy. He got into weightlifting in PT as he learned how to power through the pain. He lost both legs in Vietnam. He won the Boston Marathon in his wheelchair. I believe he beat everyone.
Unfortunately he became bitter. He was a casualty of the time before vaccines and one of our most awful testosterone fueled post colonial adventures. Deb Haaland is working to break that thread.
SiubhanDuinne
@Miss Bianca:
I did not know your sister had died this year. I’m so sorry — it’s a lonely place to be, as JoyceH and I and probably others who have lost sisters in the past year could tell you.
ETA: Toni sounds amazing. The kind of person I would have relished knowing IRL. Again, my condolences on your profound loss.
Miss Bianca
Thank you for your condolences, friends. I told sis about this place, and now I tell you about her.
WaterGirl
@UncleEbeneezer: Thanks for the reminder!
H.E.Wolf
Adding my thanks for all the women mentioned in this thread. Special place in my heart for Rep. Underwood, and Miss Bianca’s sister.
Another woman who will go far: Xochitl Torres Small (NM) flipped a House seat to Dem. in 2018 and was defeated for re-election in 2020.
She has a background in water rights law, and has recently been nominated by Pres. Biden for the post of Under Secretary of Agriculture for Rural Development, at the US Dept. of Agriculture.
StringOnAStick
@WaterGirl: It happens now on my Kindle; it uses the Silk browser it came with. The reload issue only happens here.
WaterGirl
@StringOnAStick: I just posted this on the previous thread:
Edit: If you can’t get a screen capture easily on a Kindle, can you take a picture of your Kindle screen with your phone and send me the photo?
Geminid
@H.E.Wolf: I was very sorry when Xochitl Torres-Small lost her rematch with Ms. Harrel. Both elections were close. New Mexico Democrats in the Roundhouse (as insiders and wannabees like me call the State Capitol building) will make Harrel’s reelection an uphill climb. Another good Democrat will win that seat, hopefully. But Xochitl Torres-Small will do important work for us all at the Department of Agriculture, and has a long career ahead in public service, if she wants it.
CapnMubbers
@WaterGirl: On my iPad with Firefox private browsing, the site occasionally reloads without warning, usually several times in a row, sometimes to the point that I shut down the iPad and leave it for, say, ten minutes. Whether or not that has any effect I don’t know but usually there’s no problem when I restart.
And even when not using private browsing the site doesn’t remember my nym and email. I comment very infrequently.
I very much appreciate your contribution, among others, to this site.
CapnMubbers
@CapnMubbers: Annd, just as I remarked about the site not remembering me, apparently it DID.
J R in WV
@Miss Bianca:
Condolences on your sister’s death; I’m sure it’s painful to discuss, thanks for sharing with us here.
H.E.Wolf
@Geminid:
Glad to hear the additional details about Xochitl Torres Small and the Roundhouse. :)
It’s good to have dedicated, ethical public servants in appointed positions, as well as in elected office.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Miss Bianca: Sorry for your loss
Thor Heyerdahl
An incredible woman who hopefully gets to even higher levels – Canada’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance – Chrystia Freeland.
KGB archives show how Chrystia Freeland drew the ire (and respect) of Soviet intelligence services
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-kgb-archives-show-how-chrystia-freeland-drew-the-ire-and-respect-of/