tavis: my friend of last summer started on, as we should have, native american reservation. so often these people are out of a larger american narrative. we did a week-long specialty on pbs about this poverty. we want to start on a reservation. we were asking many of the women on the reservation, i recall asking them what about the great recession? what impact has the great recession had? they said, what recession? it is always this way, it is worse. he lived with this every day, so the great recession no impact on native americans because conditions were always that bad. i wanted to ask more about your story because he seemed to be the exception to the rule. he went to princeton, you are taught by cornell, by toni morrison. laureate. lnobel >> there is a range of experiences, very few of which we recognized as authentic. there is a range of tribal identities, too. in line, it takes the cake. my father was an austrian jewish holocaust refugee and my mother from in a reservation. my brother was very ambitious and the thing he and i had watched a risky business and decided we w

but energy independence would be a good place to start to diversify the income of the native american reservations. [applause] >> let's try over here. sir? yes, sir. >> i am from the university of oxford in the u.k. my question -- president bill clinton has done a lot of visits to africa. the president holds you in high regard. encouraging those presidents when they leave power to actually engage in similar initiatives to support the people? then somebody hit a nerve. -- >> somebody hit a nerve. >> you know, there is now a program funded by a somali billionaire who made a lot of money in the cell phone business to actually give cash stipends to former presidents who were honest when in office and wished to do public service when they get out of office. that is a great idea. i actually keep in touch with -- for example, every year at the cgi -- almost every year, at least two former african presidents -- from nigeria and from ghana, come. but a number of others -- ghana keeps rollover people with elections. that is pretty good. and senegal, the president finally admitted he lost the last election,

i'm going to go teach native american reservations or an inner-city school or do something else or work in some other way for a couple of years just to see what it's like and then maybe i will go back into the business and he won't be bankrupted by your own loan repayment obligations. so you remember that. [applause] stomach of a woman right there to the it yes, sir. >> my name is bertoni kaine i'm a graduate student from houston texas. [applause] >> from houston texas. >> yeah speed and also a mother and survivor of domestic abuse, brittled domestic abuse. and i know that when you came on earlier you said that we in this room are overachievers, but because of my past haven't always been that way. my first semester of college, i felt completely flunked with everything i was facing. last night a gentleman said that talent is universal but opportunity is not. so my question to you is how we optimize the talent of those who don't always have the same opportunity, someone like me, who's had to fight very hard just to be standing today with everything that i've had to face? so how do we make

native american brothers and sisters. we started this poverty to work on a native american reservations, and we asked for this documentary. you know what the women said? what recession? is always liked out for us. it is a wonderful story of single mothers exercising their own agency. tell us what it is like trying to navigate life on a reservation. >> i am one of the women who run represents over 500 tribes. the largest is the navajo. the second-largest is mine. during the recession, i can recall my father and uncle tom kane, what recession? -- talking, what recession? there is a huge piece of land between l.a. and new york city, middle america, where we live. many native americans living in middle america. the american indians are the only ones mentioned in article 6 of the united states constitution, where the quote is to honor all treaties by this government, so when we go to washington, d.c., and we are always trying to get one more penny for education. the question now arises if we are mentioned in the constitution, why are we always trying to get more money to address poverty in our communities? the majority of wome

native american brothers and sisters. i'm glad to have her here for that particular reason number one. my friend was in the case, we started this on a native american reservations. we asked them for this documentary. what about the recession index has impacted you? do you know what they said? you know what the women said to us? "what recession? what recession? it's always this way for us on the reservation." and so, cecilia firethunder is a single mom back in the day. she has two kids, she goes on to become a nurse so that she can take care of her kids. she later runs for office and becomes the first woman to be the president of her sioux tribe. it's a wonderful story of single mothers -- of single mothers exercising their own agency. so that when dr. malveaux says that we don't even keep track of what happens on the reservation, cecilia firethunder, tell me what it's like for women these days, poor women and their children, just trying to navigate life on a reservation where the recession means nothing to them because it's always so much worse? >> first of all, i'm one of millions of american women who identify as native american. we represent a little over 50

cornell west and i took a poverty around the country last year, we started this turn native american reservation. and we asked them for this documentary about poverty in america, what about the recession, now as the recession impacted you in the reservation? you know the women said to us? what recession? it's always this way for us on the reservation. so cecilia fire thunder is a single mom back in the day. she has two kids, goes on to become a nurse so that she can take care of her kids. she later runs for office and becomes the first woman to be the president of hirsute tribe. it is a wonderful story of single mothers -- single mothers [applause] exercising their own agency. so we don't even keep track of what happens on the reservation. cecilia fire thunder comments come in with is like for women these days, poor women and their children trying to navigate life on the reservation where the recession means nothing because it's always so much worse. >> i'm one of millions of american women who identify as native american. we represent a little over 500 tribes in america large and small. the lar

to beat up undocumented workers or women in same-sex marriages or native americans on reservations.e they saying? how do they justify this or do they attempt to? >> you know, this is their ideology. it fits into the whole scheme of some people in some people out. why are we going to acknowledge, act as if they exist, same-sex couples. you know, according to many of them, undocumented people aren't people at all. they are not included in the health care bill. and they are chased down in arizona. so, no, it's obvious to them. >>. >> it's hard to believe -- are you saying congresswoman that we might see a case where the violence against women act is not extended? >> well, you know, here is the dynamic in the senate, i think, what they really did for us and in the country did force some of the republicans to change their mind. the -- they are in such weak ground when it comes to women right now and of course, women are the majority of voters and this consistent run women, those who don't think it exists, take a look at the record may finally, come to haunt them and say, wait a minute. v

native american brothers and sisters. i'm glad to have her here for that particular reason number one. my friend was in the case, we started this on a native american reservations. we asked them for this documentary. what about the recession index has impacted you? do you know what they said? you know what the women said to us? "what recession? what recession? it's always this way for us on the reservation." and so, cecilia firethunder is a single mom back in the day. she has two kids, she goes on to become a nurse so that she can take care of her kids. she later runs for office and becomes the first woman to be the president of her sioux tribe. it's a wonderful story of single mothers -- of single mothers exercising their own agency. so that when dr. malveaux says that we don't even keep track of what happens on the reservation, cecilia firethunder, tell me what it's like for women these days, poor women and their children, just trying to navigate life on a reservation where the recession means nothing to them because it's always so much worse? >> first of all, i'm one of millions of american women who identify as native american. we represent a little over 50

you might say, i will go teach on a native american reservations or add an inner- city school for a couple of years to see what it is like in the maybe i will go into business. you will be able to afford to do it because he will not be bankrupted by your own loan repayment obligations. you all remember that when you are going through this. [applause] >> my name is brittany king. i am a graduate student from houston, texas. [applause] >> from houston, texas? >> yes. i am also a mother and survivor of brutal domestic abuse. i know when you came under earlier you said we in this room are overachievers. because of my past have not always been that way. my first semester of college i failed out with everything else was facing. last night its sentiments a college's universal but talent is universal but opportunity is not. how'd we optimize the talent of those who do not have the same opportunity, somebody like me who has had to fight hard to be standing today with everything i have had to save. how do we make that something real question marks this is an excellent opportunity that i saw out. sch

one is extends provisions of this to make sure native american women on reservations also have that kindection. it extends protection to victims of domestic violence, women, who happen to be gay or less bean or or lesbian or trans gender and it extends the act to people who are undocumented who happen to be in this country who are beat up by their boyfriends or spouses or whatever and who agree -- get this -- who agree to cooperate with the ins and law enforcement agencies so that they can get these undocumented people that beat them up and send them back out of the country. so because it extends the violence against women act now would extend to trans gender gay, lesbian, to native american women and to undocumented women, republicans are blocking the violence gim women act. i don't get it. i mean i have got to tell you, as a party, i just think they are committing mass political suicide. i don't understand how anybody -- i said it before. i don't understand ithow anybody could be a republican today or vote for a republican today. i am that's extreme, but they are asking for it. 866-55-

when you look at the modest changes made to the bill to protect a native american women who are victims of domestic abuse on their reservationsr to make sure that immigrant women who are rape victims are able to make sure they can report things and not have people use it against them, their immigration status. these are things that have been agreed to for years, agreed to by law enforcement. so i think in the end good will prevail and we'll get this done and i hope it won't get caught into partisan politics. i was surprised as a leader on the bill and one of the two women on judiciary how contentious this was compared to past years. but nevertheless, i think yesterday, like i said, good prevailed. we picked up a number of republican votes, we got up to 68. a number of efforts to strip some of the provisions agreed to by people like mike crepe powe, a conservative republican from idaho, ultimately voted for by john mccain, i don't think these are radical provisions. i'm very hopeful e we'll be able to get them through the house of representatives. >> finally, senator, i'm remembering when democrats accused george w. bush of po

casino on an indian reservation and we got into a physical arctic altercation he would be tried in a tribal court instead of a us court despite the fact that neither of us are native americans that's that's what this reauthorization says in the stand out right now and no it's not no it's not because the tribal police have priority over anything other than a federal federal crime right now he would be tried by a u.s. court because tribal courts have less protections than u.s. courts and so this this extends what the trial. bill the people that can be covered under that not just to native americans but to anything that happens in the casino or whatever so it's a violent a chain want to help protect for lesbians and protections for undocumented immigrants do should they make sure they have protections under the act. yes but again violence is and violence against women is a state and local issue and that's where most of these things are prosecuted but violence against women act does is provide funding for liberal feminist groups to run programs that have never been evaluated there are studies that show that these programs have not been in fact we don't know that they are effect

we have in the reservation communities most ly in the rura communities 4.2 million native americans across5 million now across the country. 50% of them are moving toward more urban centers. still, we have the highest challenges with infrastructure, lowest telephone penetration rates, lack of plumbing, water and sewer, and clearly 8 of the 10 most poverty stricken counties in the nation are in tribal communities. >> all right. jac jackie, i have to tell you that as we looked at the statistics around native american women, and alaska women took my breath away. these are statistics that say that 34% in their lifetime will be raped or sexually assaulted and 39% will experience domestic violence and that native women are murdered at a rate that is 1 times the national average. so part of the reason that i really wanted to speak to you today is my sense that if this matters to anybody, the act around the new provisions are critically important to indigenous women. >> absolutely. there's been studies and reports, and we don't need studies and reports in the communities to talk about what we see e

it would extend help for native american women, the most significant spousal abuse, abuse of children, takes place in indian reservations. this legislation will enlarge the breadth of this bill to protect these people who are so badly in need of help. this legislation also includes nondiscrimination protection for all victims regardless of what they look like or where they're from. it reduces bureaucracy and implements new accountability measures to ensure federal investments are properly spent and it places greater emphasis on training police to respond to reports of sexual assault which has among the lowest conviction of rate of any violent crime. and for police officers, it's one of the most dangerous things they do. last year we had a police officer in las vegas, sergeant, been in law enforcement for many years. he went with another officer to respond to a domestic violence phone call. he was shot and killed as he walks in the door. so we do need to understand that we need to continue to help train police and also make them better trained to convict these people who are doing these bad things. mr. president, many ye

native american woman married to a non-indian. he began abusing her two days after their wedding. they lived on her reservation. in great danger, she filed for an order of protection as well as a divorce within the first year of marriage. the brutality only increased. it ended with the woman's abuser going to her place of work, which was located on the reservation, and attempting to kill her with a gun. a coworker trying to protect her took the bullet. before that awful day, this young woman had nowhere to turn for help. in her own words -- she's are her own words -- after a year of abuse and more than 100 incidents of being slapped, kicked, punched and living in horrific terror, i left for good during the year of marriage, i lived in constant fear of attack. i called many times for help but no one could help me. the tribal police did not have jurisdiction over the daily abuse because the abuser was a non-indian. the federal government had jurisdiction but chose not to exercise it because the abuse was only misdemeanor level prior to the attempted murder. the state did not have jurisdiction because the abuse wa