Fawn Sharp, the president of the Quinault Nation, is congratulated after winning election as the new president of the National Congress of American Indians at the organization's 76th annual convention in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on October 24, 2019.
Photo by Kevin Abourezk
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Fawn Sharp grew up steeped in the activist culture of the Northwest.
When other girls were playing house and having tea parties, she was learning from the men and women who fought the Fish Wars of the 1960s and 1970s. At the age of 4, she met legendary Nisqually fishing rights activist Billy Frank Jr., and her mother served as an assistant to her tribe’s president, Joe DeLaCruz, also a renowned fishing rights activist.
After school, Sharp would often walk to the tribal administrative building in Taholah, Washington, to see her mom. There, she would meet other tribal leaders and elders of the Quinault Indian Nation.
She became close to many of her tribe’s matriarchs, including well-known basket weaver Beatrice Black and respected elder Hazel Tekie Rosander. They taught Sharp about the importance of spirituality in ensuring the health of the Quinault people.
“I grew up knowing that for our tribe to be successful we had to commit mentally and physically but also spiritually to our overall well being, and that was a key part of our success,” she said.
The 49-year-old Sharp hasn’t forgotten their lessons to her.
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On October 24, she was given the opportunity to put her teachings to work after being elected president of the country’s largest inter-tribal advocacy organization.
At the National Congress of American Indians 76th annual convention in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Sharp won a resounding victory over three opponents to become the organization’s 23rd president and its third female leader.
She is just the second leader from the Quinault Nation to serve as NCAI president. The first was her mother’s former boss, Joe DeLaCruz, who served four years in the position.
Sharp, who is currently serving her fifth term as president of the Quinault Nation, told Indianz.Com that she hopes to serve as a role model for young, future Native leaders.
“I consider that to be one of the most sacred aspects of this role is leading by example and providing that opportunity for little girls to know they can grow up to be anything they want to be, including the indigenous president of the United States, and president of the United States,” she said.
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The Quinault Nation is a matriarchal society and currently boasts a female majority on its tribal council and women serving as the tribe’s chief of staff and chief operating officer.
Sharp’s own political ascension began early.
After graduating from Lighthouse Christian Academy in Taholah, she briefly attended community college in Seattle before leaving to return home to care for an ailing grandfather. Later, she attended Grays Harbor College before leaving to attend and graduate from Gonzaga University. She went on to earn a law degree from the University of Washington and studied international human rights law at Oxford.
At the age of 35, she was elected president of the Quinault Nation.
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Her career has taken her many places, including work as an attorney and judge for her tribe and an administrative law judge for the Washington state Department of Revenue. She also has served as a trustee for Grays Harbor College, founding member of the National Intertribal Tax Alliance and director and secretary of the Quinault Nation Enterprises Board.
She was the first female president of the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians and a former regional vice president and first vice president of NCAI.
She said her vision for NCAI’s vision is focused on advancing tribal sovereignty. She said she hopes to improve tribes’ economic sovereignty and social sovereignty related to truth and reconciliation.
“I think this time is so important going into the 2020 election year,” she said. “I think tribes have a tremendous opportunity to seize this moment to make some significant advancements, and if we don’t unify and organize our efforts we may miss the most significant opportunity possibly in our lifetimes.”
She said she also is interested in focusing on the issue of climate change and would like to see tribes take the lead on policy and scientific discussions about climate change. She said in recent years scientists have begun identifying traditional tribal conservation practices as models for contemporary conservation practices.
Indeed, this week NCAI released a statement condemning the United States’ decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement, a document that tribes supported through a 2017 NCAI resolution.
“By withdrawing from the Paris Climate Agreement, the Administration is violating its trust responsibilities and countless treaties and agreements with America's tribal nations to ensure the sustainability of the ecosystems we all rely upon to survive,” Sharp said in a press release.
The Quinault Nation has directly suffered the impacts of climate change, she said.
“Nothing will stop us. Together we are strong. Together we are unstoppable”: Fawn Sharp from the Quinault Nation. Incoming president of the National Congress of American Indians. #NCAIAnnual19@PresFawnSharppic.twitter.com/RR97z6Iabw
Sharp said she also plans to focus on ensuring adequate funding for federal programs that serve Indian nations. She cited the 2018 U.S. Commission on Civil Rights report “Broken Promises: Continuing Federal Funding Shortfall for Native Americans,” which outlined the ongoing lack of adequate funding for federal programs serving tribal nations.
As a former chair of the Interior Department’s National Commission on Indian Trust Administration and Reform under President Barack Obama, Sharp also studied the failure of federal agencies in fulfilling the government’s trust responsibility to Native people.
“Every bit of the issues that we discussed all came down to a lack of funding,” she said.
As NCAI president, she plans to advocate for reforms in international trade policy and tax policy to improve economic conditions for tribes. She also plans to advocate for increased access to federal funds that now normally get funneled through states, such as the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program.
That program provides funds to states for financial assistance for families, such as childcare assistance and job preparation.
“This is a woman who ran 3,000 miles for sovereignty”: Fawn Sharp, president of Quinault Nation, is second to be nominated for president of National Congress of American Indians. Sharp was nominated by Ramona Bennett, former chair of Puyallup Tribe. #NCAIAnnual19@PresFawnSharppic.twitter.com/8kpZDLNJU9
While states use tribal populations in order gain increased funds for TANF and similar federal programs, tribes often struggle to gain a share of those funds for their own needs, Sharp said.
She also criticized the inability of tribes to consult directly with the White House Office of Management and Budget in order to seek adequate funding of tribal programs. Currently, tribes are required to consult with federal agencies, which then submit their proposed budgets to the OMB for approval. Often, the OMB ignores or overrules those budgets when drafting its own budgets, leading to inadequate funding for tribal programs.
“We should not be categorized in the discretionary funding part of the national budget,” Sharp said.
Sharp said she has great hope for the future of NCAI and plans to focus much of her attention on reaching out to Native youth to ensure their participation in the organization’s efforts.
Indeed, Sharp already has begun involving youth in her presidency.
Within seconds after the results for the vote for president were posted at NCAI’s annual convention in Albuquerque, Sharp walked out the main hall in the convention center and into the lobby. There, she met a young girl, around 2 or 3 years old.
The girl had stepped out the main hall to find and congratulate Sharp for her victory.
The two hugged, as people with cell phones and cameras took photos.
“I just held on to her for quite a while and it just grounded me,” Sharp said. “It was exactly what I needed in that moment, to embrace our future.”
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Fawn Sharp of the Quinault Nation is seen in the halls of the convention center in Albuquerque, New Mexico, as members of the National Congress of American Indians cast votes for leadership positions in the organization on October 24, 2019.
Photo by Kevin Abourezk Fawn Sharp and Tyson Johnston, president and vice president, respectively, of the Quinault Nation are seen at the National Congress of American Indians 76th annual convention in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on October 24, 2019.
Photo by Kevin Abourezk Fawn Sharp of the Quinault Nation embraces a supporter after learning she won election as president of the National Congress of American Indians during the organization's 76th annual convention in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on October 24, 2019.
Photo by Kevin Abourezk From left: Robert Daugherty of the Cherokee Nation, Fawn Sharp of the Quinault Nation and Joe Byrd, Speaker of the Cherokee Nation Council, are seen at the National Congress of American Indians 76th annual convention in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on October 24, 2019.
Photo by Kevin Abourezk From left: James Rideout of the Puyallup Tribe, Fawn Sharp of the Quinault Nation and Ramona Bennett of the Puyallup Tribe, pose for photos at the National Congress of American Indians 76th annual convention in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on October 24, 2019.
Photo by Kevin Abourezk Fawn Sharp prepares to address the National Congress of American Indians after winning election as president during the organization's 76th annual convention in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on October 24, 2019.
Photo by Kevin Abourezk Fawn Sharp addresses the National Congress of American Indians after winning election as president during the organization's 76th annual convention in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on October 24, 2019.
Photo by Kevin Abourezk Supporters applaud as Fawn Sharp addresses the National Congress of American Indians after winning election as president during the organization's 76th annual convention in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on October 24, 2019.
Photo by Kevin Abourezk Youth from the Quinault Nation are seen on stage as Fawn Sharp addresses the National Congress of American Indians after winning election as president during the organization's 76th annual convention in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on October 24, 2019.
Photo by Kevin Abourezk
