This week the Supreme Court affirmed the constitutional right to birthright citizenship for anyone born in the United States.
But the citizenship of the original inhabitants of these lands should never have been put into question. This country was founded on the blood of our ancestors who have loved and cared for this land long before the United States existed.
On July 4th, as we mark the 250 years of existence of the U.S., we must remember and remind others that unless you know where you have come from, it is difficult to know how to move forward. Our collective history of this land stretches back millennia.
Our ancestors built governments, created trade routes, organized multi-tribal sporting events, sustained communities, and adapted through profound challenges — including climate shifts, displacement, and attempts to erase our ways of life.
That resilience is not just our history; it is the wisdom guiding us today.
We have a collective responsibility not only to protect what we have inherited from our ancestors, but to help shape what comes next for the betterment of all.
The next 250 years begin with all of us. It is time to resist, reimagine, repair, reclaim, and rebuild. Together, we can create a future rooted in justice, equity, and self-governance that is people-powered, not profit-driven.
The challenges we face today did not emerge overnight. They are rooted in systems and structures established 250 years ago that were designed to serve a select few of the rich while excluding the majority. These systems are also premised on the limitless expansion and control of land and natural resources for the profit of a few.
Understanding that history is essential if we are to reshape those systems and build a more just political and economic system now and for the future.
Together we will keep walking with our ancestors toward a better future for all.
NDN Collective