<\/p>\r\nHaaland was introduced by President Jonathan Nez,<\/a> who spoke from Window Rock, Arizona, the capital of the Navajo Nation<\/a>.\r\n <\/p>\r\n Thank you to @POTUS Biden, First Lady @DrBiden, @SecDebHaaland, and our Nation\u2019s leaders for being a part of today\u2019s \u201cNavajo Nation Day of Prayer\u201d event to honor and remember those we have lost to COVID-19 in the past year. We will overcome together! Ahe\u2019hee\u2019 \ud83d\ude4f\ud83c\udffd<\/p>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t <\/p>\r\n“She is our fierce leader,” he said, citing Haaland’s accomplishments as one of the first two Native women elected to Congress and now the first Native person in a U.S. presidential cabinet.\r\n <\/p>\r\nHaaland, a citizen of the Pueblo of Laguna<\/a>, joined the event from her office in Washington, D.C. She became the leader of the Department of the Interior<\/a>, the federal agency with the most trust and treaty responsibilities, on March 17.\r\n <\/p>\r\n“I love the Navajo Nation,” Haaland said. She expressed remorse for the lives lost on the largest reservation in the U.S. to COVID-19.\r\n <\/p>\r\n“This pandemic has caused so much pain for so many people across the United States, but I know it has hit the Navajo Nation very hard,” she said.\r\n <\/p>\r\n "This past year has been incredibly painful for all of us![\"Jonathan](\"https:\/\/pbs.twimg.com\/media\/Ew2vY9xVIAEMrFn?format=webp&name=large\")
\t\tX (formerly Twitter)\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\r\n
\u2026 but it has also brought out the best in us.\u201d@SecDebHaaland<\/a> #DebAtInterior<\/a> @NNPrezNez<\/a> #COVID19<\/a> #Coronavirus<\/a> @Interior<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/rN53GZzrxY<\/a><\/p>— indianz.com (@indianz) March 19, 2021<\/a><\/blockquote>