Have you ever had a moment where somebody reminds you of a conversation that you don’t entirely recall? That happened to me recently. I met with an executive of a nonprofit who just happened to be my very first connection as the executive director of the Spirit Mountain Community Fund almost 5 years ago. I had the pleasure of meeting her again recently in her new role as a director of another non-profit organization doing great work in our communities. So while I didn’t recognize her name, I did recognize her face and her smile and said so. I told her I recalled her being my very first appointment in my new role. And then she said something surprising. She said, yes, but I was rather wishing you didn’t remember it because I was slightly embarrassed by something I said to you, and you kindly put me in my place. I was perplexed because that’s not something you hear every day and my mind was scrambling to recall the details before it got awkward. Thankfully she recounted the conversation before she realized I was drawing a blank. She said it was right on the heels of a new presidential administration taking office and she boldly claimed, upon entering the meeting, that she was very displeased about it and commented about how we (as native people) were probably not happy about it either. She reminded me how she basically called me out in front of the group to offer comments and put me on the spot. She said she’ll never forget what I told her at that moment. (I kind of wanted a reminder as well and was on the edge of my seat)…

She said that I told her, kindly, but assuredly, “that we were a resilient people for a reason and that we survive by being a pendulum of sorts and that I had no comment about the new administration.” Because my head was spinning only being days into my new job and being in semi-disbelief that I was being put in that position, I redirected the conversation to the matter at hand and asked about her non-profit work. I didn’t give it much thought after that day but it sure stuck with her after all these years. I’m glad she was humble enough to bring it up and now I’ve had the opportunity to reflect on it. One, she didn’t need to be so apologetic, I don’t take offense easily but I was glad to hear her say that it was a learning moment for her. Two, I would never intentionally embarrass anyone, but, in retrospect, there’s a lot of truth in what I reportedly said. Indeed, I do believe, as sovereign nations, it’s important to be nimble and adaptive to ever-changing political agendas. Regardless of who’s in office, protecting our culture, sovereignty and rights for self-determination should be a top priority for leaders.

As I run for a seat on Tribal Council I have been asked (more than once) if I’m a Republican or a Democrat. For one, there’s more than two political parties and for the record, I’m registered Independent. I’ve been asked and I have no qualms talking about issues rather than political parties and being transparent about my personal views. We can probably agree that there is no perfect party and likely never will be. In my early years I was registered Democrat and in later years registered Republican. Now, I’m registered as an Independent. I would like to think that makes me bi-partisan, or open-minded when considering solutions for the multitude of issues our people are facing today.

I have an optimistic outlook on life but regardless, people are inclined to label you or may expect you to take positions that solely align with, or even against, a political party for a number of different reasons. I don’t like that approach and prefer to discuss individual issues, solutions and the impact on people. My hope and prayer is that this “Swing Like a Pendulum” message empowers you to speak boldly but with an open mind and a servant’s heart in all things that you do and remember in all your conversations that we have way more in common than not.