As the presidential election approaches, Philly's Indigenous community highlights affordable housing, land, and sovereignty
By Camila Carolina Romero and Gabriela Watson-Burkett. November 3, 2024.
The Indigenous Peoples’ Day in Southwest Philadelphia is organized by Brujo of Ollin Yolitzli Calmacec and the Bartram’s Garden. (Photo: Lucero Conrado).
Nearly a century after the 1924 Snyder Act extended voting rights to Native Americans, their role in U.S. elections has gained recognition as essential and influential. Yet, despite this acknowledgment, Indigenous people remain one of the most underrepresented groups in the electoral process.
The barriers they face are rooted in historical and systemic inequities. Addressing these challenges is not just about ensuring fair representation; it’s about upholding Indigenous rights, and sovereignty and acknowledging their role in shaping the future of Turtle Island.
Nationally, the 2023 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report found that the percentage of people experiencing homelessness who identified as either American Indian or Alaska Native increased by 18% between 2022 and 2023. (Photo: Lucero Conrado.)
Land access, economic opportunity, and sovereignty are top issues
Colonialism’s impact never truly disappeared—it merely evolved. In major cities like Philadelphia, the lingering effects of displacement are still deeply felt, because Indigenous poverty is interconnected with land dispossession and displacement.
The Lenape, meaning 'the real people,' were the original inhabitants of what is now Philadelphia, living in the Delaware Valley for thousands of years before being displaced by settlers in the 17th and 18th centuries. Although Pennsylvania was once a central part of Lenapehoking, the Lenape homeland, it now has no federally or state-recognized tribes—a stark reminder of the erasure of Indigenous history in the region. The effects of this erasure are still felt today.
Demographics, such as the exact number of Indigenous peoples in Philadelphia who are experiencing disparities like unemployment, literacy gaps, lower health outcomes, poor housing conditions and the effects of climate change are difficult to grasp due to the lack of accurate statistics available.
Yet nationally, the 2023 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report found that the percentage of people experiencing homelessness who identified as either American Indian or Alaska Native increased by 18% between 2022 and 2023. Housing for indigenous peoples in urban settings, where land is scarce, is increasingly expensive, making owning or renting difficult.
In Philadelphia, Indigenous peoples (not limited to the Lenape) also face lower wages. Poverty, discrimination, and legislative oversight, coupled with the lack of sovereignty, also affect spiritual, cultural, community, and family ties.
For indigenous peoples, the right to self-determination, rights related to land, territories, and resources, and the right to adequate housing, are intimately connected. The right to safe and livable housing means that governments must take immediate steps to ensure that Indigenous peoples have access to the living conditions they need. Indigenous peoples should enjoy the same human rights as other citizens.
It is also important to note that Indigenous knowledge in terms of housing, building materials, and construction technologies can contribute to mitigating and adapting to the effects of climate change with alternative ways of building.
In the 2024 presidential election, word on rights for Indigenous peoples on the campaign trail has been limited, and even more so when it comes to native-specific policies.
As part of a $370 million ad campaign launched this month, including outreach on several reservations, Harris emphasized that the U.S. must respect treaty rights and uphold tribal sovereignty. The Trump campaign hasn’t released ads that target Indigenous peoples. Still, in both cases, advertisements are not policy.
On October 25, President Biden issued a formal apology for the nation’s role in supporting Native American boarding schools and the lasting harm they caused through abuse and cultural erasure.
Although addressing these points of discrimination is noted, these appeals made days before a historic election can only be meaningful for Indigenous peoples if they are interpreted and implemented through policies and programs that address their experiences of structural disadvantage and historical injustice.
What does affordable housing for Indigenous peoples should look like?
The 14th Indigenous Peoples’ Day Celebration at Bartram’s Garden in Southwest Philadelphia was held on October 13th. Before this event, the Native Nations Dance Theater Company organized a pow-wow under the guidance of Elders Pauline Songbird and Pocahontas Allen. In 2011, Brujo of Ollin Yolitzli Calmacec connected with local Indigenous community members to establish what is now known as the Philadelphia Indigenous Peoples’ Day Celebration.
On this special day, members of the native community shared the challenges of affordable housing, highlighting the systemic issues and impact of capitalism, gentrification, and the ongoing effects of colonization that perpetuate housing insecurity and other challenges, such as climate change.
Residents highlighted the need for alternative housing, such as self-sustained communities and cooperatives, particularly by Indigenous peoples themselves. They also mentioned the need for equal access to existing grants or loans in support of housing renovation, upgrading, down payments, and mortgages.
Community members also emphasized that public authorities must ensure that there is an adequate supply of social or public housing designated specifically for Indigenous peoples and that governments should also support and encourage self-built housing as a means to provide housing security to native communities and mitigate climate change.
Community member Felicia Teter discussed the unaffordability of both renting and owning a home in Philadelphia, calling it a “significant problem.” They highlighted the irony of living on “Indigenous land” while many homes remain unoccupied and it is illegal to squat.
“I don't think it's affordable to rent. I don't think it's affordable to live,” Teter said. “. (Photo: Lucero Conrado)
“I don't think it's affordable to rent. I don't think it's affordable to live,” Teter said. “These homes are sitting empty, and yet, how many homeless people do you walk by when you're walking downtown? That is obviously an act of capitalism–an act of colonization, to have people suffering when the means exist for them to not be.”
Teter emphasized their skepticism of political candidates' promises, advocating instead for direct action to occupy vacant homes and make housing free, asserting that the resources exist for this solution.
Other community members also advocated for self-sufficient indigenous communities, emphasizing the need for safe, affordable housing and the right to land. Critical of the current political system, they called for power to be redistributed to Indigenous people and resources to be directed toward their sovereignty, living conditions, and sustainability. They highlighted the importance of community action, land stewardship, and self-sufficient practices like growing food and building homes, urging people to join organizations and work collectively to achieve these goals.
“Policies should be in place in the cities and they [the government] should work with people with lower incomes .” - Shafiyq Ali-Reid, Entrepreneur and Chief Executive Officer of EDAY APP, INC. Photo: Lucero Conrado.
Shafiyq Ali-Reid, Entrepreneur and Chief Executive Officer of EDAY APP, INC. (a mobile canvassing platform designed to conduct qualitative and quantitative research) who currently rents and is considering home ownership for his family, believes housing is unaffordable for many families, especially those with lower to middle incomes. Ali-Reid advocates for government support that would subsidize housing costs for Indigenous groups.
“Policies should be in place in the cities and they should work with people with lower incomes to be able to subsidize the money that they need with their down payment, with their mortgage,” he said.
He noted that certain neighborhoods in Philadelphia, particularly those with more green space, are more expensive.
Diente, one of the founding members of Gente de Tierra Co-op, as many of the attendees of the celebration said they don’t own a home. “I've either been houseless, couch surfing or renting. All of my peers here are housing insecure. A lot of my work is done in mutual aid and making sure that my friends can either pay their rent or find somewhere to live. And that's been difficult. It ends up just asking for money for rent, and it's not sustainable.”
“I've either been houseless, couch surfing or renting. All of my peers here are housing insecure.” - Diente, one of the founding members of Gente de Tierra Co-op. Photo: Lucero Conrado.
Diente described their cooperative's efforts to build sustainable, affordable housing using natural materials and traditional methods, aiming for self-sufficiency with solar power and rainwater collection. The ultimate goal is to create communal housing for Indigenous people, starting with a "nature chapel" to demonstrate their building methods and secure land through an organization called PA Land Link. They also encourage others to take action within their community rather than relying on candidates, emphasizing the importance of community-driven solutions and self-sufficiency.
When asked if they had a message to the presidential candidates: “I would encourage anybody, in a position of power, to give up that power to Indigenous people,” said attendee Stef Lunita, a local art teacher. “Funding Indigenous sovereignty, Indigenous movements and bettering the living conditions on reservations, but really, at the end of the day, we shouldn't even have reservations, we should just get our land back.”
Indigenous people who gathered at the event mentioned their lack of hope in the results of the upcoming elections.
“I would encourage everybody to work together, to join an organization, or to work with people who are tending to the land and connecting. - Stef Lunita. Photo: Lucero Conrado.
“We can't really lean on politicians, because they don't really have our interest at heart,” said Stef Lunita. “I would encourage everybody to work together, to join an organization or to work with people who are tending to the land and connecting, because as these global systems are collapsing, we do have to learn how to grow our own food, build our own houses, and we deserve that for ourselves, to have education systems that represent us, housing systems that represent us, but it's all one step at a time. Growing food, sharing food, coming to celebrations like this, sharing herbal medicine, and people understanding, we're still here!” She concluded.
For those interested in learning more about the organized movements in favor of Indigenous communities, residents mentioned their support for #LandBack, which is an Indigenous-led movement that advocates for land, sustainability, affordable housing, access to healthcare and education, language and cultural preservation, revival of ceremony and traditional medicines, the ability to self-govern and be sovereign, systemic change by political representation and voting engagement.
In the U.S., voting is a democratic process through which citizens elect leaders to govern on their behalf. Ensuring that elected officials fully represent Indigenous people, respecting and upholding Indigenous sovereignty, self-determination and land sustainability is essential for addressing the challenges faced by Native communities and preventing further harm.
This content is a part of Every Voice, Every Vote, a collaborative project managed by The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Lead support for Every Voice, Every Vote in 2024 and 2025 is provided by the William Penn Foundation with additional funding from The Lenfest Institute for Journalism, Comcast NBC Universal, The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Henry L. Kimelman Family Foundation, Judy and Peter Leone, Arctos Foundation, Wyncote Foundation, 25th Century Foundation, and Dolfinger-McMahon Foundation. To learn more about the project and view a full list of supporters, visit www.everyvoice-everyvote.org. Editorial content is created independently of the project’s donors.