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Politics
Navajos turn out for civil rights commission hearing


The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights held a hearing on Friday to address discrimination against Navajos and other Native Americans.

The hearing was held in Farmington, New Mexico, a city near the Navajo Reservation. Testimony last 12 hours, according to The Albuquerque Journal.

Navajo leaders and residents spoke of discrimination they experienced. They said they are treated unfairly by businesses and law enforcement in Farmington.

Duane "Chili" Yazzie, the president of the Shiprock Chapter of the Navajo Nation, said he gave the city a "B-" on race relations, up from a "D" in the 1970s, when three white youth brutally murdered three Navajo men. Yazzie said Farmington was called "the Selma, Alabama, of the Southwest."

Get the Story:
Farmington Struggles With Civil Rights Issues (The Albuquerque Journal 5/1)
Commission takes look at racial discrimination (AP 5/2)

Related Stories:
Civil rights panel to hold hearing in Farmington (4/29)
Racism still a sore subject 30 years after murders (4/27)
Navajos see bias in New Mexico city's justice system (4/26)
Navajo homeless men claim assault by white youth (4/23)
Navajos recall discrimination by local businesses (4/22)
1974 murders of Navajo men stir strong feelings (4/21)