Joint Human Rights Government to Government Initiative Signed between Navajo Nation and City of Grants

Navajo Nation officials met with City of Grants officials in a formal signing of a joint human rights government to government initiative on May 19, 2010 at City Hall in Grants, N.M.  Present were the NNHRC Commission Chair Duane H. Yazzie, Navajo Nation Speaker Lawrence T. Morgan, City of Grants Mayor Joe Murrietta and U.S. Department of Justice Consolation Specialist Grace Sage Musser, Ph.D., signed the MOA.  For more about the Memorandum of Agreement signing, click here.

In case you were unaware of the Navajo Nation has a Human Rights Commission ... the Navajo Nation Human Rights Commission (NNHRC) was formed in 2008 and serves to advocate for the recognition of Navajo human rights and operates as a clearinghouse entity to address discriminatory actions against the citizens of the Navajo Nation. It was created as a result of extensive research into possible hate crimes occurring in the towns of the Navajo Nation such as the recent crime in Farmington, NM. You can access the news story here.

The Commission’s plan of operation is to:

1.)   Conduct public hearings in/near border towns to assess the state-of-affairs between Navajos and non-Navajos.

2.)   Investigate written complaints involving discrimination of Navajo citizens.

3.)   Network with local, state, national and international groups and advocate for recognition of Navajo human rights.

4.)   Educate the public about human rights and the Navajo Nation's intolerance of human rights violations.

 

You can access the NNHRC website here.

 

-CMD