Episode 165: Ambassador Keith Harper

When Keith Harper was confirmed as President Obama's representative to the UN Human Rights Council he became the first American-Indian to achieve the rank of Ambassador. The longtime attorney for native American rights soon put his knowledge of tribal culture to use in Geneva where he represented the United States on the top UN human rights body.

Ambassador Harper is a Cherokee Indian. He was born in San Francisco and from an early age was animated by a civil rights movement known as "Red Power." After law school he represented a number of Native Americans and Native American causes and this culminated in a multi-billion dollar class action lawsuit against the federal government that he successfully litigated.

We spend this first few minutes of this conversation with a timely discussion the work of the Human Rights Council. The Trump administration is currently deciding whether or not to continue American participation in the council, and Harper makes the case that despite its flaws Ame…