Author

Shondiin Silversmith

Shondiin Silversmith is an award-winning Native journalist based on the Navajo Nation. Silversmith has covered Indigenous communities for more than 10 years, and covers Arizona's 22 federally recognized sovereign tribal nations, as well as national and international Indigenous issues. Her digital, print and audio stories have been published by USA TODAY, The Arizona Republic, Navajo Times, The GroundTruth Project and PRX's "The World."

Arizona gets a new national monument as Biden designates Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni

By: Shondiin Silversmith - August 9, 2023

This story originally appeared in the Arizona Mirror. After months of advocating from several tribal nations, Arizona is home to a new national monument, as President Joe Biden officially designated Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni on Tuesday, effectively barring mining on roughly a million acres of land near Grand Canyon National Park. “The Biden-Harris Administration is […]

‘We have a voice’: Biden administration hosts first Tribal Nations Summit since 2016

By: Shondiin Silversmith - November 16, 2021

This story first appeared in the Arizona Mirror. State, federal and tribal leaders came together during the White House Tribal Nations Summit on Monday to talk about commitments towards Indian Country and highlight the importance of the nation-to-nation relationship between tribal nations and the U.S. government. “The White House sits on the ancestral homelands of the […]

Native American Heritage Month celebrates Indigenous communities across the nation

By: Shondiin Silversmith - November 8, 2021

A version of this article originally appeared in the Arizona Mirror. November is Native American Heritage Month, and for Indigenous people across the country, it’s a chance to share the unique ancestry, traditions, and contributions their communities make today and have made throughout history. “Far too often in our founding era and in the centuries […]

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