July Cause Of The Month: Navajo Nation, COVID-19

If you’ve been around here for a while, you know that Go the Fuck Outside exists to give back to both planet and people. 

Starting last month, we began contributing to one organization per month to assist underprivileged groups in need through exclusive outdoor designs. The hope with our model is to not only raise awareness, but provide monetary support. For the month of July, we will donate 10% of the total sales from this desert design to the Navajo Nation.

The Navajo Nation extends across New Mexico, Utah, and Arizona and is the second largest American Indian tribe with nearly 175,000 living in the area. This is the land they made their own after the expansion of the United States forced them to relocate.

Why Navajo Nation?

As of June 28th, the Navajo Nation has nearly 7,500 positive cases of COVID-19, surpassing New York for the highest number of cases per capita. 

With cases surging in Arizona, leaders decided to reinstate lockdown to protect their members. The danger increases for them as a third of the population doesn’t have access to running water and only 13 grocery stores within their borders. This means they have to travel to surrounding states, increasing their exposure to the virus. 

Little access to food and water, as well as limited hospital resources and structural and economic inequalities are the major contributors to the devastating impact on the Navajo people. 

Unfortunately, Native American tribes are not new to experiencing hard-hitting pandemics - their history includes European colonizers infecting their tribes with measles, cholera, typhoid and smallpox. This killed over 70% of native peoples and forced them into displacement, enslavement and starvation, leading to poverty. 

And to make matters worse, sweeping viruses like coronavirus are a threat to their culture. Losing elders in their community rapidly prevents the spreading of their language, traditions, and storytelling.

Our Go the Fuck Outside team is highly motivated to support the Navajo community, and we hope you will join us in these efforts. All proceeds from the sale of limited edition design will go directly to NavajoStrong, a non-profit created specifically to support the Navajo community during the COVID-19 pandemic.

How You Can Support

Aside from purchasing one of the shirts, you can educate yourself and show further support for the Navajo Nation by donating directly through the NavajoStrong website.

Please share this post with friends and family who can contribute as well!