Last week’s report from Our Living Lands highlighted the challenge of living without electricity. Now, meet the Navajo families experiencing electricity for the first time through a transformative mutual aid initiative.
In the heart of the Navajo Nation near Kayenta, Arizona, the desert heat climbs toward 90 degrees even before noon, making life challenging for those without electricity. Persephonie Blackwater, a resident here, describes the struggles of daily life in an area where red mesas outnumber homes.
“We make a lot of grocery trips every day for meat – frozen meat – and it’s really expensive like that,” Blackwater shared, standing outside her sun-drenched home.
Reliant on a costly generator for basic needs like lighting and phone charging, Blackwater spends substantial sums on fuel and frequent generator replacements. “We probably went through I don’t know how many generators,” she said. “Like almost every year, we had to buy a generator.”
This year, however, change has come. Workers are planting a power pole nearby, connecting Blackwater to the electric grid, thanks to the Light Up Navajo program. This initiative, begun five years ago by the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority and the American Public Power Association, is slowly bringing electricity to the region.
The work is arduous and costly, akin to rebuilding after natural disasters, which is why utility companies nationwide send crews to assist. Caleb Duncan from Dixie Electric Cooperative, part of these efforts, remarked, “Those are people that have power – they’re just dealing with outage. These people are getting it for the first time.”
Despite recent successes, with nearly 850 homes electrified, over 13,000 still await power. Deenise Becenti from the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority aims to increase this pace, targeting 1,000 homes annually. The process is complex, requiring costly assessments and land rights acquisition.
“Each (home) project is estimated to cost at least $40,000,” Becenti explained, with significant expenses tied to paperwork.
Pandemic relief funds have aided these efforts, but with resources dwindling, the utility seeks further federal grants and volunteer support. Just outside Kayenta, Ryan Begay, now with electricity, sees the positive impact on his children, sharing their excitement over simple pleasures like popsicles and television.
Reflecting on life without electricity, Begay pondered, “How did they do it? And how can we learn from that?”
For elder Helen Nelson, who recently gained power, the change is profound. She now enjoys amenities like refrigeration and nighttime lighting, spending evenings watching TV, finding joy in these new experiences.
Nelson, speaking in her native Navajo language, expressed how her life has improved. Her son purchased a refrigerator, and she appreciates the convenience electricity brings.
This story was also supported by the Indigenous Journalists Association and Solutions Journalism Network’s 2024-25 Health Equity Initiative
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Colorado, and KANW in New Mexico, with support from affiliate stations across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
