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NORTH AMERICAN Newsline JUNE 28, 2024 | The Indian Eye 30

NEWSMAKERS OF THE WEEK

Selected stories about Indian diaspora from our website www.theindianeye.com

PRAMILA JAYAPAL NEERA TANDEN

Representative arranges $9.2 M Biden advisor highlights

to develop climate resilience Diaspora’s role in India-US ties

epresentative Pramila Jayapal has announced $9,257,231 for the eera Tanden, the domestic policy advisor to President Joe Biden, high-
Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (WS- lighted the significant role of the Indian diaspora in strengthening the
RBCTC) from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s NIndia-US relationship.
(NOAA) Climate Ready Workforce Competition grant program for the Tribal
Stewards. It aims at cultivating Tribal Leadership and Equity in Natural Re- She emphasized that even during tense moments between the
source Stewardship and Climate Resilience project.
“Climate change has disproportionately impacted the resilience, cultur- two countries, it’s the people—the Indians with family and rel-
al practices, and health of Indigenous communities throughout Washington atives in the United States—who have helped build the US-India
State,” said Jayapal.
“Additionally, historical barriers stemming from the legacy of colonialism relationship stronger. These Indian Americans only helped con-
have created alarming disparities in education and career advancement. I am ceive a strong vision of the US. This deep connection influences
so proud to have supported this project, which creates a holistic and intersec-
tional approach to addressing climate change, and tailors career guidance and how India perceives the US, making it fundamentally important
academic support to focus on environmental justice efforts that center Tribal as they continue to make progress together.
communities,” She added further.
“We deeply appreciate Congresswoman Jayapal’s support of Washington
state’s grant application,” said Paul Francis, Executive Director of the Wash- “I really do believe it is the diaspora that has played a huge role in building
ington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges. this relationship to where it is today,” she said.
Tanden, a top White House official, was speaking in a fireside chat with
This funding will help the Tribal Stewards initiative build a workforce of
Tribal leaders to integrate traditional ecological knowledge, science, and cul- former US Ambassador to India Tim Roemer during the seventh annual lead-
ership summit of the US-India Strategic and Partnership Forum (USISPF)
tural practices to increase Tribal communities’ resilience to climate change. held in Washington on June 17.
The program will train 62 faculty and 10 Tribal student support professionals,
redesign 10 natural resources programs, and train 2,130 students across six
colleges in the WSBCTC system. Continued on next page... >>

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