Jandi Craig, White Mountain Apache Tribe, Community Organizer. Photo by: Dawnafe Whitesinger
How it saved me to become a native organizer
I am a mother, a White Mountain Apache Tribe citizen, community organizer, and was elected the first vice chairman of the Navajo Democratic Party in January 2021. Today I am sharing my story about how I became an organizer on tribal land.
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How I became a community organizer
Last year my son and I were victims of domestic violence. I’ve learned firsthand that the system isn’t victimized and that your life is affected by who you vote for in local races. Specifically, the district attorney, the judges, and the sheriff. People need to know who is on their ballot and who is making decisions that affect them on a daily basis.
My experience is not an isolated one. I waited 45 minutes for the sheriff’s deputy to arrive. A terrifying 45 minute wait while the angry abuser was on the other side of a door. Even when the deputy arrived, I didn’t feel entirely safe. The sheriff’s deputy was reluctant to take my abuser into custody and said, “It was my word against his,” even though my foot was broken. I had to beg him to arrest my perpetrator.
From that experience, I found support and purpose in a group I co-founded to empower women and started voter registration. Then we discovered that there was a problem with the census. In our White Mountain Apache communities, there were no door-to-door census workers and the number of self-reports was very low. We started helping people self-register and at one point hosted a drive-through event with voter registration, census reporting and Covid tools.
A real turning point for me was when the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe faced the imminent threat posed by the Trump administration. Our mission was to educate voters because all tribes are susceptible to this type of action. This inspired our Apache women to learn more about the political process and how local and national policies affect our daily lives.
As a result of our efforts, we have seen an increase in first-time voters and turnout as many Apache women took the time to learn more about the candidates, issues, and elections and to share this with their family, friends, and the wider community. Women who had never voted before or thought their vote didn’t count shared this valuable information and made connections. Everyone stepped forward and pitched to inform and gather our communities. That’s how I became a community organizer.
We had an 8% increase in the overall turnout for White Mountain Apache and a 12% increase in the Democratic turnout. That’s what I’m most proud of.
Our indigenous people, the voice of the indigenous people, colored Arizona blue in 2020, proving that every single vote counts. This 2020 election was decided with just over 10,000 votes.
Jandi Craig and co-organizer Josh. Photo by Dawnafe Whitesinger
Next Steps
In the future, we need to maintain this dynamic and be present all year round, not just during the election cycle. To help grow the county party, I was asked to become chairman of the Navajo County Democrats, but I felt I needed to learn more about the processes and the role so I agreed, the 1st great learning experience. I’m going to join the State Committee of the Arizona Democratic Party and have met with the state party leadership, and every time we meet I learn something new.
In the Apache culture, it is important to listen and learn by observing. At the same time, I appreciate the opportunity to exchange ideas, and when others can connect with my story and take away that they too can bring about positive changes in their community, I know that I have done my part.
At the moment almost everything is a learning experience. I’m excited and excited to be working with a great group of people and I need to remember to get things started and keep being open to new ideas and opportunities. I try never to say “no” when helping people. There’s always a way to help, there’s always a way to find out.
We need to train more indigenous leaders now and in the future. This year and next, we are building our program because I know firsthand how important this commitment is. I want more community people to sit at the decision-making tables and be the voice in their communities. Native American choice has so much potential and we just need to communicate and empower people to take on those leadership roles. As a traditional Apache woman, I feel good because this is where power lies.
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Ashagoteh / Thank you for standing with us.
Jandi Craig, White Mountains Apache Tribe
1st deputy chairman
Democrats in Navajo County
– Northeast Arizona Native Democrats
The Northeast Arizona Native Democrats are a project of the Navajo County Democrats and a cross-coalition working group made up of Coconino, Navajo and Apache County Democrats.
neaznativedemocrats.org
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checks can also be paid for and mailed to: Navajo County Democrats – Native Organizing Fund
P.O. Box 144, Lakeside, AZ 85929 · (928) 224-8021
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