NYSUT celebrates Native American Heritage Month with a new poster honoring Deb Haaland, who became the first Native American Cabinet secretary in 2021 as U.S. Secretary of the Interior. A member of the Pueblo of Laguna, Haaland brought personal experience to an agency with a complex history. The daughter of military veterans, she attended 13 schools before graduating in Albuquerque.
Haaland, a single mother who once relied on food stamps, earned her law degree at the University of New Mexico and ran a small business. She was the first woman elected to the Laguna Development Corporation Board and first Native American woman to lead a state political party.
Inspired by her grandparents’ experiences, Haaland launched the Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative and “Road to Healing” tour, leading to
President Biden’s 2024 apology for the boarding school system. She also secured over 400 tribal co-stewardship agreements, established the Missing & Murdered Unit, and championed new federal investments in tribal communities.
The NYSUT poster is available for download at nysut.org/publications. Limited print copies are available.