Tracey Fisher: Washington takes an interest in Oweesta

Opinion

Friday, March 19, 2010

"Washington, D.C. seems to be taking an interest in grassroots Native economic development lately. Last week, Oweesta staff testified at a hearing of the U.S. House of Representatives and participated in a discussion hosted by the Obama administration at the White House. In both cases, Oweesta was able to serve as the voice for Native people and advocate for policies favorable to building assets in our villages and communities. I think the federal government may be realizing that our holistic and integrated approach to community development really works to create permanent change. Considering the current state of the economy, our model for economic development might be just what the rest of the nation needs.

On March 9, Tanya Fiddler, Oweesta’s vice president of programs and operations, provided testimony to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Financial Services at a hearing entitled, “Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs): Their Unique Role and Challenges Serving Lower-Income, Underserved and Minority Communities.” Along with other select community development practitioners from across the nation, Tanya was able to offer a unique perspective on the role Native CDFIs have in transforming their local economies. She shared her first-hand experience of how Native CDFIs enable tribal members to build stronger, more self-sufficient communities and develop local economies – where there once was none – from a grassroots level.

Later in the week, on March 11, Tanya and Vickie Oldman-John, Oweesta’s director of financial education and asset building, attended a key listening session on financial capability hosted by the Obama administration at the White House. The administration is currently working to ensure that every American – including First Americans – have the financial knowledge, skills and access they need to take control of their financial futures. This session was designed to gather comments and feedback from the financial education field regarding challenges surrounding financial literacy and strategies for possible solutions. With nearly a decade of experience in establishing Native financial education programs across the nation, Oweesta was able to provide valuable input at this forum to help inform the administration’s policy moving forward."

Get the Story:
Tracey Fischer: Indian country ahead of the times (Indian Country Today 3/19)