Suzan Shown Harjo - National Congress of American Indians

National Congress of American Indians

Harjo has been involved in major advances in US federal Indian policy, and served as the Executive Director of the National Congress of American Indians from 1984 to 1989. The National Congress of American Indians or NCAI, was founded in 1944, a non-profit organization that represents all Native American Indians as well as Alaska Native Americans. According to the NCAI constitution their mission is to 1) protect and advance tribal governance & treaty rights, 2) promote the economic development & health & welfare in Indian & Alaska Native communities, & 3) educate the public toward a better understand of Indian & Alaska Native tribes.

As elected the Executive Director of the NCAI, from 1984-1989, Suzan Harjo began to become a greater leader in Native American rights. She dedicates more time asking Congress to keep their end to the deal in dealing with hunting and fishing rights and even asking for more funds for education, the NCAI goal to educate their people as well as others, as seen in the Dept. of Interior & Related Agencies Appropriations in ’84, ’86, & ’88. Some key issues that are revealed during this time is that Suzan Harjo is not getting her desired results, as she claims that the committee in ’88 are not doing its duty in allowing the access of governments documents and aiding the economy of Native Americas, her last hearing as a NCAI representative. To reasons unknown, Suzan Harjo is not elected to be Executive Director in 1990.

She has also spoken out against the negative portrayals of Native Americans in movies and television. One of Harjo's biggest concerns is the decline in health clinics on reservations and the subsequent higher mortality rate amongst Native Americans.

Harjo is outspoken against author Ward Churchill's controversial claim of Native American ancestry and has publicly denounced him.

She has appeared on many television programs including The Oprah Winfrey Show, C-SPAN, and Larry King Live. She has been the president of the Morning Star Institute in Washington D.C. since 1984. Harjo is also a columnist for the newspaper Indian Country Today.