COVID-19 in Indian Country

A Call to Integrate Food Systems and Food Security Toward Sovereignty

2020 marked a year of rapid response and programmatic triage in Indian Country. The COVID-19 crisis exacerbated many existing service barriers in Indian Country, including access to healthcare, programmatic limitations, and overburdened resource distribution lines that did not account for the geographical spread of Tribal nations. While Indigenous communities continue to experience disproportionate economic and data marginalization, the pandemic also highlighted the resiliency of Tribal communities, both urban and rural. Here, we celebrate some of the Tribal responses to COVID-19, including project partnerships with First Nations Development Institute, Tribal governments and Tribally led non-profits. We also highlight opportunities and recommendations to build a more resilient philanthropic and federal response in Indian Country in light of the COVID-19 epidemic.