Hi,

Almost 200 years ago, the federal government made a promise to the
Cherokee, and now it’s time to see it through.^1 [ [link removed] ]Click here if you
agree: Give the Cherokee Nation a delegate to Congress!

A 1835 treaty between the Cherokee nation and the US government guaranteed
that the Cherokee nation could send a delegate to Congress. But for almost
200 years the US failed to live up to its end of the promise. Now, the
Cherokee nation is asking for a delegate^2, and Demand Progress, along
with other social justice groups, are showing solidarity by echoing the
call.

[ [link removed] ]Sign the petition: Give the Cherokee nation a delegate in Congress!

ADD YOUR NAME

Let’s face it: the US has a long track record of not honoring treaties
with Indigenous tribes.^3 And that’s in addition to the atrocities like
the forced removal of indigenous people from their lands and the horrors
of residential boarding schools.

We can’t change the past but we can forge a new future. Having a delegate
representing the Cherokee nation in Congress will give Indigenous people a
stronger voice in public policy at a time when it’s badly needed. Climate
change, a mega-drought in the American southwest, and years of
disinvestment from the US government will have major impacts on indigenous
people,^4 their ability to access water, and provide basic necessities for
their families.

Already DC, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands,
and the Northern Mariana Islands have delegates in Congress. A Cherokee
delegate would be no different, except for the fact that they were
promised a seat at Congress almost 200 years ago and never got it.

A promise is a promise. It’s time for Congress to make this right.

[ [link removed] ]Sign the petition: Give the Cherokee nation a delegate in Congress!

Thanks for taking action,

Tihi and the team at Demand Progress

[ [link removed] ]DONATE

Sources:
1. NPR, “The Cherokee Nation is renewing its push for a nonvoting delegate
in Congress,” [ [link removed] ]September 24, 2022.
2. Ibid.
3. The History Channel, “Broken Treaties With Native American Tribes:
Timeline,” [ [link removed] ]November 10, 2020.
4. New York Times, “In Arizona, Drought Ignites Tensions and Threatens
Traditions Among the Hopi,” [ [link removed] ]November 5, 2015.
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