ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A third-grade field trip to the Navajo Nation Council sparked Crystalyne Curley's political ambition when she witnessed a fiery debate erupt between two tribal lawmakers.
"I thought to myself at a very young age, that's where I want to be," Curley said.
On Election Day, Curley surpassed that childhood dream and broke a barrier she says she never imagined as a nine-year-old: She was elected the first woman president of the Navajo Nation.
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This week's elections brought a wave of milestone victories, from the nation's first Black female governor to the first openly gay man and first Muslim elected to the U.S. Senate. It also marked a turning point for Native American women, whose leadership in their families and communities has rarely translated to formal political power.
Peggy Flanagan became the first Native American woman elected to the Senate, Deb Haaland the first to win a state governorship, and Curley the first to lead one of the largest tribes.
"This is a win for all Navajo women," Curley told The Associated Press.
Jordan James Harvill, a Cherokee Nation citizen and strategist with the advocacy group Advance Native Political Leadership, said decades of political organizing are bearing fruit as more Native women run for and win office.
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