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Nicole Horseherder, Diné, founder and executive director of Tó Nizhóní Ání, said this study sparked the nonprofit’s creation in 2000. Since then, Horseherder said she has worked to reclaim land ravaged by Peabody Energy operations.

“What that means for us is, in the lifetime of the coal mine, we had lost access to our drinking water,” Horseherder said. “It also brings up the issue that if we can’t do coal mining right in this country, we probably shouldn’t be doing it at all.”

Tó Nizhóní Ání advocates for the proper rehabilitation of water sources and former power plant sites that have been depleted by fossil fuels. This includes ensuring native plants used for medicinal and ceremonial purposes made obsolete by mining operations can flourish, an initiative Horseherder said she has yet to see from current reclamation efforts sponsored by mining corporations.

As a part of its Just and Equitable Transition campaign, Tó Nizhóní Ání is focused on combating the economic losses inflicted by mine closures for Indigenous employees and the entire Navajo Nation. These efforts consist of advocating for renewable energy and offering re-training and jobs for displaced mine workers.

In total, Horseherder said Tó Nizhóní Ání strives to help individuals on and off reservations to understand the importance of fighting for a healthier ecological future before it is too late.

“We know very deeply how we are connected to water, the relationships we have with water and the fact that no life could exist without it,” Horseherder said. “By acting out and speaking out, we’re living in accordance with the principles we were given to live with, and that is to protect the water sources for the next generation.”

Women are breaking the glass ceiling of politics

The world of politics is ever-changing.

One of the primary movements seen in the past years is the involvement of women in politics, which has had a large impact on the political world. Political involvement is not exclusive to females that hold a place in office; it has reached women of all demographics.

CAYLA VIENT