Dire streets: muddied roads and broken promises on the Navajo nation
In rain or snow, Route 5010 in New Mexico is impassable – and highlights the government’s shameful neglect of Native people
- This story is published in collaboration with Searchlight New Mexico
Sharon Begay knows this road by heart.
The 43-year-old mother of two has spent a lifetime memorizing the jagged surface and thuggish boulders that define Indian service route 5010. Locals just call it “the road” and gauge distances with landmarks: windmills, S-curves, a water tower covered with graffiti that once served as the town’s main source of gossip.
The road grabs people and doesn’t let go. It has a hold on all of us
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