Make Voting A Tradition is being Awarded for Excellence for their Service in Community by the Secretary of State
For Immediate Release:
Make Voting A Tradition is being Awarded for
Excellence for their Service in Community by the Secretary of State
MINNEAPOLIS (October 6th, 2023) —
As part of the celebration of Indigenous Peoples Day 2023, the work of Make Voting a Tradition (MVAT) a project of The Native American Community Development Institute (NACDI) will be recognized by the Secretary of State of Minnesota Steve Simon for a National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) award for excellence for their service in community.
Steve Simon will be presenting this award during the Indigenous Voter Registration Celebration Day on October 9th at 1 pm at the American Indian OIC (1845 East Franklin Ave., Minneapolis). Other community partners in the Indigenous Voter Registration Celebration Day are Indian Health Board, American Indian OIC, and the National Urban Indian Families Coalition.
“We are celebrating Indigenous Peoples Day and Indigenous Voter Registration Day to empower our people, ” says Jolene Jones, Make Voting A Tradition Minnesota Coordinator, “The fact that we are still here, after government sponsored forced assimilation and genocide, is our victory. For Native people to engage in the political process is us using our voices.”
This event will help share voter education material to the Indigenous community, and celebrate resilience, art, culture, and music.
About:
Indigenous Peoples Day is celebrated across the United States that honors Indigenous American people and commemorates their histories, cultures and significant contributions to contemporary America.
Make Voting A Tradition (MVAT) is a culturally specific, year-round, multi-generational approach to increase voter turnout and civic engagement now in its ninth year of operation. The fundamental principle of MVAT is that Native Americans are more likely to become more politically active when engaged by peers. Strengthening democratic participation demands community engagement and trust. MVAT in particular draws people into the process of defining the future of their community and builds ownership of the solutions required to reach that future. NACDI/MVAT has been able to increase civic participation in the American Indian Cultural Corridor and now throughout the state. Through our non-partisan, peer-to-peer, multigenerational approach, we support and educate residents as they contribute to the public policy shaping process.
Native American Community Development Institute (NACDI) was founded in 2007 to address the growing challenges and opportunities facing the urban Indigenous community. NACDI is committed to transforming the American Indian community to effectively respond to 21st-century opportunities. NACDI works to promote innovative community development strategies that strengthen the overall sustainability and well-being of American Indian people and communities.