Associated Press
As Monica Harvey watched, crowds flocked to a Sam’s Club in northern Arizona where she works, picking shelves clean of toilet paper and canned goods. Native American seniors couldn’t move fast enough, and Harvey saw their faces fall when they reached empty shelves.
The Navajo woman wanted to help tribal elders get household staples without leaving their homes and risking exposure to COVID-19, so she started Defend Our Community, a group that delivers supplies.
Tribes across the nation are working to protect elder members who serve as honored links to customs passed from one generation to the next. The efforts to deliver protective gear, meals and vaccines are about more than saving lives. Tribal elders often possess unique knowledge of language and history that is all the more valuable because tribes commonly pass down their traditions orally. That means losing elders to the virus could wipe out irreplaceable pieces of culture.
Tribes try to shield elders and their knowledge from virus azdailysun.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from azdailysun.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Tribes try to shield elders and their knowledge from virus yumasun.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from yumasun.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Bipartisan COVID-19 Relief Package
Today’s legislation included $900 billion in emergency coronavirus relief to protect the lives and livelihoods of the American people.
“Over the last nine months, I have spoken with folks across our region who have lost jobs, lost their small businesses, and lost loved ones due to the COVID-19 pandemic. People in our region need help. With that in mind, this new bipartisan COVID-19 relief bill is progress,”
said Rep. Kilmer. “This bill will help make a down payment on giving our communities resources they need to help beat back this virus and distribute vaccines, and provide vital support to families and local employers. Having said that, we know more is needed to help people who are hurting. People shouldn’t have to risk losing their homes, going hungry, or having their utilities shut off, due to something that’s not their fault. I’ll keep working to make sure that the federal government steps up to have the backs of folks in our