In a staged exploitation of children, Vice President Jonathan Nez joined Arizona State Rep. Eric Descheenie and six other adults on a run to the village of Supai on Feb. 14 to collect handwritten letters from the students of Havasupai Elementary School. The letters were addressed to President Donald Trump in response to speculation that a 20-year ban on uranium mining in the greater Grand Canyon region might be lifted.
| From Navajo Nation press release |
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The youth at Havasupai Elementary School are neither despondent about their future nor are they ignorant about uranium and the effects mining could have on their community. When a group of fifth-grade students was asked what they wrote about, the first thing mentioned was uranium contamination of the water. “Water is life,” said one of the students named Landis. Then he smiled wide and said, “Water is lice too.” His classmates laughed and Chilali responded, “Nature is life too.” “We need water for animals and living,” A’oda said. “And plants.” “And swimming for when it gets too hot,” Landis added. Principal Dr. Jeff Williamson said Havasupai Elementary School has not taken an official position on the issue and has strived to maintain objectivity. Therefore, the letters were written by the students to represent their own views. Some students wrote in their off-time during recess, during extra lunch-time and even after school over a two-week period. “The teachers provided the research time and time to draft their letters to the president,” Williamson said. “This is a great opportunity to have their voices heard.” |
The gathering of the letters was documented by Arizona PBS. A segment is scheduled to be aired Monday, Feb. 19, on Cronkite News at 5:00 p.m. and afterward on Arizona Horizon. According to the Navajo Nation press release, “The news station worked to cooperate with the Havasupai Tribe and Havasupai Elementary School before it began filming and collaborated with Havasupai tribal leaders and Rep. Descheenie’s office.”
After reading her letter on camera for the segment, eighth-grader Tahj-Rae said in a separate interview, “They say the mining will be near the Grand Canyon. I would like to know where near is. My concern is about how the contamination would affect our people and our water exactly,” according to the press release.
“We came to support the efforts of Representative Eric Descheenie and the Havasupai tribe to elevate the voice of the Havasupai youth.” said Vice President Jonathan Nez in the press release. “Their voice needs to be heard, especially on issues that impact their health and way of life.”
For years political operatives have exploited kids and generated fear in them for political advantage. However, rarely are politicians as honest about choreographing kids as Rep. Descheenie and Vice President Nez.
According to the press release, at an assembly held at the school Rep. Descheenie said, “We are going to make sure your words are received and read by the president of the United States so when he makes decisions that impact your lives he does so with you in mind. You have a powerful voice and it must be heard!”
Descheenie hand-delivered the letters to the White House on Friday.