President Barack Obama and the first lady will visit the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in North Dakota on June 13.
U.S. Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., will join the president and first lady during their visit. The last time a sitting president visited a reservation was in 1999, when President Bill Clinton went to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota.
In a statement, Obama said that while in Cannonball, N.D., he will announce the next steps he plans to take regarding jobs, education, and self-determination in Indian Country. Heitkamp, a member of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, points to issues such as an increased mortality rate among Native American children as important issues that both she and the President are concerned with.
“This trip will enable North Dakota to show off the rich culture, history, and traditions of our tribes, while also raising awareness about the challenges too many Native American families face, such as extreme poverty and abuse,” Heitkamp said in a statement.
