Who Are The Forgotten People?

The Bennett Freeze refers to an policy that froze development on 1.6 million acres on the Western Portion of the Navajo Nation in Arizona along the Little Colorado River and Colorado River. It is named after Commssioner, Robert L. Bennett of the Bureau of Indian Affairs . The Bennett Freeze was enacted in 1966, but stems from a long standing land dispute created by the United States imposed boundaries bcreating conlict between the Navajo and Hopi people who traditionallly lived in harmony as trading tribes. According to 2010 Census approximately 20,000 Navajo people live in the Bennet Freeze Area, which consists of 10 Chapters. The 2006 Compact Agreement was signed by the Hopi and Navajo Nations. In 2009, during President Obama first term repealed The Bennett Freeze (http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Public_Law_111-18).

The legacy of the Bennett Freeze still looms over the region and deeply affects the day-to-day lives of its residents. In testimony before Congress, Nelson Gorman, Jr., Speaker of the Navajo Nation Council, likened it to "the deplorable conditions approximating those found only in underdeveloped third world countries. The Navajo Nation Three Branches of Government came into an Agreement "One Nation One Voice.  Recently elected President Begaye and Vice President Jonathan Nez agreed with Speaker Lorenzo Bates and 23rd Council to declare the "Rehabiilitation of the Bennett Freeze A Priority" and work together to identify any obstacles and barriers to developing a "Long Term Regional Rehabilitation Holistic, Comprehensive and Sustainable Plan". A Historical Accomplishment; the first effort of its kind since the Freeze was lifted.