Author

Shondiin Silversmith
Shondiin Silversmith is an award-winning Native journalist based on the Navajo Nation. Silversmith has covered Indigenous communities for more than 10 years, and covers Arizona's 22 federally recognized sovereign tribal nations, as well as national and international Indigenous issues. Her digital, print and audio stories have been published by USA TODAY, The Arizona Republic, Navajo Times, The GroundTruth Project and PRX's "The World." Silversmith earned her master's degree in journalism and mass communication in Boston before moving back to Arizona to continue reporting stories on Indigenous communities. She is a member of the Native American Journalist Association and has made it a priority in her career to advocate, pitch and develop stories surrounding Indigenous communities in the newsrooms she works in.
White House report highlights voting barriers for Native American voters
By: Shondiin Silversmith - April 14, 2022
Native Americans face recurring and unnecessary barriers when it comes to exercising their right to vote, according to a report released by the White House. “Many of the voting barriers faced by Native American communities are persistent and longstanding, with deep historical roots,” the report states. The report identified a wide range of barriers that impact […]
Native American Heritage Month celebrates Indigenous communities across the nation
By: Shondiin Silversmith - November 4, 2021
November is Native American Heritage Month, and for Indigenous people across the country, it’s a chance to share the unique ancestry, traditions, and contributions their communities make today and have made throughout history. “Far too often in our founding era and in the centuries since, the promise of our Nation has been denied to Native […]