Honorable Dan Glickman
Secretary, U.S. Department of Agriculture
Washington, DC 20250

Dear Secretary Glickman:

American Indian Council members appeal to you for help on two issues we believe are vital to fulfilling your civil rights commitments to employees and under-served customers.

First, we are concerned about USDA's Native American Special Emphasis Program (SEP). We endorse the SEP as defined by Departmental Regulation 4230-2. Conditions which gave rise to the development of SEPs still exist and these conditions warrant a vigorous and focused SEP.

The Director of the Office of Civil Rights recently announced to members of the Civil Rights Leadership Council that her office is considering a reorganization that will not designate a separate SEP Manager for each protected interest group. The Hispanic and African-American SEP Managers' positions have remained vacant for three months and seven months, respectively, and the Native American SEP Manager will become vacant later this month. We hope these important positions are filled soon.

We remind you that American Indians and Alaska Natives enjoy a legal status that is unique among other "protected groups." The Code of Federal Regulations' Title 25 is devoted to Indian law. Indian Country, if taken as a whole, would be the fourth-largest State -- bigger than Montana. The agriculture sector is the largest single employer of Indian people. Federal Indian policy is continuously evolving and issues are often complicated by unique cultural and political characteristics. USDA has acknowledged its trust responsibility to Indian Country and pledged to help promote the highest and best use of Indian trust lands.

Therefore, the American Indian Council recommends that the Program Manager for the Native American SEP have specialized experience in the field of Indian relations, be familiar with fundamental Indian law, and, as much as practicable, be dedicated to the Native American Program. In general, Special Emphasis Programs should be strengthened -- not weakened.

In addition, we urge that you quickly work to fill the recently vacated position of Native American Programs Director. The former Director, Mrs. McNeil, worked tirelessly to promote better program delivery to Indian Country. Unfortunately, this important position usually remains vacant for many months between appointments. A swift placement of a qualified person in this job would demonstrate USDA's commitment to providing Indian Country with quality customer service.

Thank you for considering our opinions and suggestions. As always, our goal is to promote a better understanding of issues facing American Indians and Alaska Natives.

Sincerely,

C. Wayne Brewer
Chairman

copies: Rosalind Gray, Director, Office of Civil Rights
            Cheryl Tates-Macias, Acting Assistant Secretary for Congressional Relations
            Leaders of USDA Employee Organizations