the navajo nation is divided into five regions. avajo has a lot of what we call the checkerboard area. there are individual allotments. because of this individual ownership, they have the right to lease their land. what the company does is target individuals in our community and use this divide and conquer tactic. what they're doing is basically promising all these riches and basically monetary gains for an already poor community. a lot of our people do not even have running water or electricity. some of the individuals are dependent on this -- on these promises of a false economy and jobs and all these good things that they say they're going to do. but in reality, the project is only going to last five years and the rest of that will be restoration work, which depending on what their plan is, we don't believe they can do restoration. we're hoping the epa will use this opportunity to consider this old permit they gave the company called an aquifer exemption. back in the 1980's, they had obtained all their permits to do mining and ha

esther belin is a writing instructor here at fort lewis college, and a member of the navajo nation asell as an indigenous activist. she is a poet, won the american book award for her book of poetry. shirena trujillo long is coordinator of el centro de muchos colores at fort lewis college, and chair of the real history of the americas committee. and we are joined by noel altaha, a student coordinator for today's event, a member of the white mountain apache tribe and a senior here at fort lewis college, majoring in psychology and minoring in native american and indigenous studies. we welcome you all to "democracy now!" let's begin with shirena trujillo long. talk about this day, how you're trying to refrain: his day. >> this day here at our college is unique because we have some neat vibrant tribes and vibrant people still living that were taught columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492. here on campus, we have done it for the last four years. it really started because we wanted to do something different on columbus day. we did not need that the day off to celebrate him and his discovery.