CASSANDRA BEGAY (SHE/HER) (MEMBER OF THE DINÉ TRIBE)
Diné activist and advocate
Salt Lake City, Utah
Many of the world’s problems could be resolved by Indigenous women. We have been resilient for 500 years, sustaining our languages and keeping ecosystems intact. When land is stewarded through colonial frameworks, it falls apart; it’s not sustainable. It’s a different thing to actually identify yourself through your connection to the land — to see it as a relative. In this way, rural areas are very powerful — and often underestimated. In rural communities, there is a strong ecosystem of people who have lived there for generations, committed to that area, to that land. In a capitalist society where so many things are convenient, living in rural areas can be very difficult and expensive. But people choose that way of life. When you have a combination of deep connection and care, these communities should be invested in. People want to stay — and make sure those areas are taken care of — for a long time.
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This article appeared in the February 2026 print edition of the magazine with the headline “#IAMTHEWEST.”
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