ACET Congratulates President Barack Obama on his Re-Election

The Alliance congratulates President Obama on his re-election and looks forward to working with the Administration and Congress in addressing the injustice of the Federal Acknowledgment Process and the marginalization of so called "non-federally recognized" tribes and their citizens. The Obama Administration has engaged Indian Country in many positive ways. Yet, the false divide between those tribes that are listed and those that are not listed on the Bureau of Indian Affairs list of Federally Recognized Tribes continues to grow in areas of government consultation, the legal definitions of "American Indian," respecting the inherent sovereignty of tribal governments, and access to federal protections afforded to tribal citizens. We applaud the Obama Administration's support of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People (UNDRIP)and call on the federal government to work with all historic tribes in establishing ways to uphold the lofty principles of the UNDRIP.