First Native Congresswoman Elected in America | National Geographic

[Music] To win this election, I think it would mean the world to across the country. In the Congress, there have been roughly 12,000 people elected to 1789, and of that number, about 300 Native Americans and yet never a woman.

Why you and why now? Why me and why now? Well, why not me? Why not now? You just remember the day that she was like, "I'm gonna run for Congress," and I was like, "That sounds like something you would do." You know, like she’s always just been like, "I’m gonna do this," and when she says she’s gonna do something, she gets it done.

She saw that people weren't getting out to vote; she saw that there are underrepresented communities. She walked into an office one day and volunteered her time. I wanted people to have a voice in our politics. I did it because I felt that that's how I could benefit my community.

Hi Laurie. Well, the night of the primary she was a lot less emotional than all the rest of us were. She was not surprised, I don't think. It just seemed like, "Okay, we've crossed one hurdle and now we have another one directly in front of us," right? Without any time, like not a second to spare, it was like all of a sudden a light went on. She's been on a roll ever since.

[Applause] You have power!

Loosely, hi everyone! I'm Dan Sullivan. The last day to register to vote. I'm so proud of the race that we've run, and I couldn't have done any of it without you. This year, women are breaking campaign records across the board. Native women are a part of that.

Well, it's not how it looks at two of the candidates: Deb Holland in New Mexico and Charisse David's in Kansas. When Deb won the primary, it suddenly got national attention and showed how overdue that is, how this should be a routine story in 2018 rather than being the first time ever. She talks about it in a way that what I want to do is give Native Americans a seat at the table.

Indian country will see how important it is to have full representation to show that Americans need to include first Americans as part of the national discourse. I think it would mean that we're taking another step closer to equality.

To be fierce means to me that you're just speaking out, that you're giving voice to folks who haven't had a voice in our politics. Not everything always has to be about what holds high and how many votes you're going to win off that issue. I think it should be an issue that you truly care about, and that's why you're running for office.

One of the issues I think she can probably make a big difference on is climate change. I think that's one where the Native communities have a stake almost immediately.

[Music] I went to Standing Rock in September of 2016 because I felt like I needed to stand with the water protectors. Native Americans in that movement joined forces to speak up for the environment.

Standing Rock was one of those moments that whether or not they were successful blocking the pipeline, that idea that you can use this newfound authority to do things was something that I think was infectious. Family is so important to her. Just because you decide to run for office, it doesn't mean that you can neglect all of your other obligations.

I'm still a mother to my daughter, Soma. What she has said to me is, "I raised you as a fob," Lohmann, that means so much to me. Her family history is so rich in tradition, I mean both military and railroad. I am a thirty-fifth generation New Mexican.

My mother in particular and my grandmother, they were two of the hardest working women I've ever known. My grandmother, she used to clean diesel train engines with a bucket of kerosene and a brush. My mom was a 25-year federal employee; she worked in Indian education. I inherited their work ethic watching her.

With that work ethic, when it came to any sort of community event that needed to happen, that really stuck with me. Probably the greatest difference between, say, Western philosophy and Native philosophy is the role of the individual versus the role of a community. Individualism only takes you so far. If the Pueblo people had had that individual success mentality, I just don't think we would have survived as a people.

Deb has, like many other women in history, just paved the way for us a little bit, not only for Native American women but women of color and women in general. For the first time, a young girl living at Laguna Pueblo could say, "I can grow up to be president." That has not been possible because they never saw anybody that looked like them, and I think that is more important than any single election.

[Music] I'm just really proud of 'cause that's what she does. She says she's gonna do something, and she does whatever it takes to get it done. We didn't realize all the ramifications; she was just looking to be the congresswoman from District one in New Mexico, and it’s become a much, much bigger thing than that.

I think she’s just somebody who’s worked awfully hard for a long time without credit or glory, and being in Congress for her is not an end goal. It’s part of what she can do to change the world. I'm not surprised by anything that she's done; she's doing it, she's killing it.

Live! Hi everyone, I'm Deb Pollock. Today is election day. What are you waiting for? Let's get out and vote extremely hard!

We've done our messaging. We have a strong field program knocking on thousands and thousands of doors and calling thousands and thousands of voters, and in the end, there's nothing you can do. You just have to sit back and wait like everyone else for the results.

[Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] Thank you all so much! I think the day she takes the oath of office, a lot of people in Indian country will basically have chills.

It's really hard; it's really important to reclaim the narrative. And so, I think in that sense, job is bringing back an older story. This country cannot pretend that this history didn't exist, and it can't be what it wants to be without.

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