i come with you -- to you with great feelings of the navajo. it is really an honor for me to be here, specifically, very pleased to speak on behalf of my sister. i have worked with her for many years. i just want to say that the issue that faces our community is huge. the challenge could be something like david and goliath. the issues that aurora had to deal with, the friendship house association of american indians, all the other programs that serve native people are huge. so are some of the challenges that we are faced with. we have the lowest life expectancy. 500% higher for tuberculosis. american indians have the highest rate of diabetes and other americans 195% higher. native americans have the highest rates of alcoholism. suicide is one of the highest health disparities that impact our community. access to treatment and care is the lowest for native americans in san francisco alone. they are clearly underserved populations, the city and county of public health. one of the key issues to really underscore is why we're here. we're healthy, b

he is a member of the navajo nation and has dedicated his life to serving the usyouth of the community. by creating a true partnership with them and their families, he honors the building programs with community that highlights the role of leaders today and the potential to give back as global citizens of this ever increasingly connected world. marvin has influenced the development of progressive and youth-driven projects for generations to come. i like to invite those who would say a few words about marvin. [applause] >> hey. it is our honor to present this award to someone who is truly special to us. working. y -- working with youth is not an easy task. not only must we be there to support them in their studies, we are there to advocate for them and help them to become strong individuals. to allow kids to be kids and support their development in the coming world citizens is a balancing act. this man has taken on the challenge for many years. he has become part of the lives of these young individuals and does not only care and work for them, but for their families and for the communit

his stance when he led an almost 20-year legal and legislative battle to get compensation for the navajoranium miners. he remained helping compensation up until to thousand six. i pause, i suppose, in saying anything here because all of us in native american or devastated, frankly, left adrift wondering who and where the next generation of leaders will emerge who can walk this path with us. hopefully his family and dollar his colleagues understand and appreciate the immense sense -- hopefully his family and all of his colleagues understand the immense sense of loss we felt that his passing. stewart was a figure so large and a presence and personality so powerful that he transcended ethnicity and all ethnic boundaries. in that sense, he belonged to everyone, that characteristic, indeed, was the prime source of the far reaching impact head-on congress, the impact, and of the ages beyond. his impact on some money was so great because his life in many telling and important ways sherds the life of federal indian policy. it was his father, levi, who, in 1948, as chief justice of the arizona su

kennedy and orrin hatch and persuaded congress to give justice to the people that deserve it -- the navajo miners and the down- winders. of all the things my father accomplished that you heard it talked about today by historians and others and family members, i believe he felt his best years were his eight years at interior. thank you, interior department, for that, for being very special in his life. [laughter] [applause] again, on behalf of the family, i want to thank secretary salazar and his team for acknowledge in my father's contribution -- for acknowledg ing my father's contribution and the new mexico delegation for initiating the legislation signed by president obama to have the building named for father. and i want to thank my colleagues in the house and the senate for their support and their friendship. now, two other things that i just want to say -- ken did not talk about this, but the portrait that you're going to see when you walk up here -- that portrait was by allen houser, a native artist. it took him about 10 years to finally do it because he had moved from portrait paint