Democracy is Indigenous: The Power of the Vote with Laura Harris

Encounter Culture

When Indigenous people vote, they honor their past and forge a better tomorrow for their communities. The act itself remains a complicated exercise. Indigenous voters must contend with a history of colonial rule, the goal of which was to eradicate their way of life, as well as present-day attempts by self-styled “poll watchers” to block their access to polling places or annul their ballots. And yet, democracy has always been Indigenous; a tribe’s power has always rested with its people.

Welcome to the sixth and final episode in Encounter Culture’s series about the life and legacy of Miguel Trujillo, a collaboration with the New Mexico History Museum. Encounter Culture host Charlotte Jusinski and series co-host Stephanie Padilla speak with the esteemed Laura Harris of Comanche Nation.

Laura has extensive experience in national, state, and local campaigns and political fundraising. She’s also the executive director of Americans for Indian Opportunity. The trio discusses advocacy, education, and voting as paths to protecting Indigenous self-determination; they examine threats Indigenous voters face when participating in the electoral process – and finally recap the series.

This episode was recorded in October 2022. Specific references to campaigning efforts and reported voter suppression tactics are from that election season, but voters continue to face similar challenges.

Miguel Trujillo's legacy forms the foundation for every conversation in our current series. If you haven’t already, we urge you to catch up on the previous 5 episodes.

We’d love to hear from you! What did you think of this season’s collaboration with the New Mexico History Museum about Native American Voting Rights Before and After Trujillo v. Garley? Send feedback to [e-mail]. You can write a regular email or record a short voice memo and attach it for us to listen to.

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Visit https://newmexicoculture.org for info about our museums, historic sites, virtual tours, and more.

Enter to win a package of four CulturePasses and a one-year subscription to El Palacio magazine all valued at $145 by visiting https://podcast.nmculture.org/giveaway

Whether you’re a local resident, or you’re visiting us on your travels, CulturePass is your ticket to each of our 15 museums and historic sites.

Enter by August 31, 2023. You must be 18 years or older to apply and there is no purchase necessary. This opportunity is made possible by the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs and the Museum of New Mexico Foundation.

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Encounter Culture, a production of the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs, is produced and edited by Andrea Klunder at The Creative Impostor Studios.

Hosted by Stephanie Padilla (Isleta, Laguna, Cochiti) & Charlotte Jusinski, Editor at El Palacio Magazine

Technical Director & Production Audio: Edwin R. Ruiz

Recording Engineer: Kabby at Kabby Sound Studios in Santa Fe

Executive Producer: Daniel Zillmann

Consulting Producer & Editor: Monica Braine (Assiniboine/Lakota)

Associate Producer & Editor: Alex Riegler

Show Notes: Lisa Widder

Social Media Design: Caitlin Sunderland

Theme Music: D’Santi Nava

Instagram: @newmexicanculture

For more, visit podcast.nmculture.org.

Special thank you to Clark Tenakhongva, along with Gary Stroutsos and Matthew Nelson, for the incredible Hopi music featured throughout all 6 episodes of this season. Their new album Hon Muru is set to release in August 2023 and will be available for purchase along with their other recordings on Bandcamp and at ongtupqa.com.

This season was made possible due to the generosity of the National Endowment for the Humanities and the family of Miguel and Ruchanda Trujillo.