In an article posted on the websites of the Broward and Miami New Times, journalist Jean Friedman-Rudovsky picks up where our Global Response campaign left off: she exposes the emptiness of Walmart’s claim that its “Love, Earth” gold jewelry comes from socially and environmentally responsible mines and manufacturers.

At the White House Tribal Nations Conference December 15, U.S. President Barack Obama announced that the United States would "lend its support" to the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. "The aspirations it affirms," he said, "including the respect for the institutions and rich cultures of Native peoples, are one we must always seek to fulfill. . . I want to be clear: what matters far more than words, what matters far more than any resolution or declaration, are actions to match those words.  And that’s what this conference is about.

Today, President Obama met with tribal leaders at the White House Tribal Nations Conference. The text below is his address to the audience and includes a statement of support for the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The president promised a full statement to follow.

On December 8, President Obama signed into law the Claims Resolution Act of 2010, which will award $4.6 billion to Native American landowners and African-American farmers who were wronged by the U.S. Government. This act includes the the $3.4 billion Cobell settlement.  The Cobell v. Salazar Indian trust fund lawsuit was first filed in 1996. The plaintiffs wanted justice for mismanagement of Indian land royalties held in trust funds by the Department of the Interior dating back to  the 1800s.