CHANNEL: Native American

Claims that Gov. Sarah Palin is against hiring minorities may be unfair, considering that her press secretary is part African American, and two of her senior advisors are Asian.  Still, some black leaders in Alaska support the claims, says Earl Ofari Hutchinson for NewAmericaMedia.org.

JudyAnn Bigby, MD, secretary of the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) for Massachusetts, wants healthcare institutions held accountable for their quality of care to patients of color.

She spoke to NEWz about this and other issues, following the Nov. 28 release of the state report, "Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities by EOHHS Regions in Massachusetts."

The following information is from the U.S. Census Bureau, at www.census.gov.

These "Facts for Features" presents data for American Indians and Alaska Natives, as they are one of the six major categories for race.

Rodney Randy Joseph, Sr., is the chief of the Federation of Plimouth Indian Tribes in Massachusetts.

For Native American Heritage Month, NEWz spoke to him about the history of the Plymouth County Wampanoags in the 1600s and 1700s, and the frustrating process of getting federal recognition of the tribe.

African Americans, Latinos, Asians and Native Americans are more likely than whites to develop chronic kidney disease, eventually requiring a kidney transplant or dialysis treatment to keep the blood "clean," reports NEWz.

Five talks at UMass-Boston are open to the public: "How Cancer Crossed the Color Line" and "Tribal Nations in the 21st Century" on 4/28; "Immigration and Crime" and "The Agony of Somalia" on 4/30; and "The Boston Indicators Report" on 5/1.

An education minister in India met with Native Americans to learn about their preservation of tribal culture. His own people's indigenous cultures may disappear, reports INDIA New England.