“Unearthed Dangers: How Cold War-Era Uranium Mines Are Devastating the Health of Navajo Women and Their Infants”
Isn’t it wild to think about how the same government that fought for “freedom” was also digging deep into the earth, collecting uranium, while largely ignoring the health repercussions faced by the people who lived there? This doesn’t just sound like a plot twist from a dramatic film—it’s the reality for the Navajo Nation. In this eye-opening piece, we delve into the heartbreaking legacy left behind by uranium mining in New Mexico. Discover how generations of Navajo women and children are still grappling with the long-term health effects of radiation exposure, a situation that is painfully underscored by claims like, “The government is so unjust with us… The government doesn’t recognize that we built their freedom.” Join us as we explore the government’s role in this tragic saga, and the ongoing struggle for acknowledgment and action. LEARN MORE
“The government is so unjust with us… The government doesn’t recognize that we built their freedom.”
Peter Stackpole/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty ImagesTwo Navajo women stand near a piece of unearthed uranium in New Mexico in 1950.
For decades following the start of World War II, New Mexico’s history has been entwined with the U.S. government’s nuclear ambitions. From being ground zero of the first atomic bomb testing to the uranium ore mining boom beginning in the 1950s, New Mexico and its Navajo inhabitants have been at the center of it all.
And to this day, the state and especially the Navajo are suffering the dark consequences of the government’s actions.
