It’s hard to believe 10 years have already passed, but this month, U.S. Census postcards will show up in mailboxes across Cherokee Nation and the United States. Once you receive one of these cards, you will be able to fill out the 2020 census. It’s important for all Cherokees to do so, and I’m asking for our citizens to participate.

Will Rogers was born in 1879 in the CooWeeScooWee District of the Cherokee Nation near the western bank of the Verdigris River. Barely more than 100 years before Will was born, the founders of the United States gathered together in Philadelphia to draft the Constitution of this new country.

There is not a day that goes by that I do not think about what our work means for the next seven generations. What we do today will not only affect my children and grandchildren, but it will also leave a lasting impact that will be felt for generations to come. That’s why empowering youth is a priority for my administration. 

Look no further than the current gaming compact dispute between the governor of Oklahoma and the tribes for an example of why it is important for Native people to not only vote, but also truly analyze the candidates that they support at the polls.

For too many Native women, violence is an ever-present threat. Murder is the third leading cause of death among American Indian and Alaska Native women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Our Native sisters experience rates of violence at 10 times the national average. A large majority have been victimized by non-Native perpetrators.

The largest tribal outpatient health facility in America is now open in Tahlequah. We gathered recently to dedicate the 470,000-square-foot facility. It was a transformational moment in the Cherokee Nation’s history.  

Not every hard-working Cherokee Nation citizen who graduates from high school wants to go to college, but they still deserve access to a quality job and a rewarding career. That is why the CN is doubling its funding for Career Tech training from $1 million to $2 million.

Recently, we announced a historic $16 million investment to expand Cherokee Nation’s language initiatives. It is the largest infusion of resources in the history of the Cherokee Nation to preserve and revitalize the Cherokee language.

THE CONVERSATION VIA AP – Increasingly, Columbus Day is giving people pause.

More and more towns and cities across the country are electing to celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day as an alternative to – or in addition to – the day intended to honor Columbus’ voyages.

The Cherokee people have spent generations surviving and persevering through a series of federal policies that conspire to destroy our government, break up our families and relegate our people to the pages of history. As most of us know, it has been going on a long time.

In 1835, the Treaty of New Echota led to the forced removal of the Cherokee Nation from our homelands in the southeast to Indian Territory, while at the same time ceding vast amounts of traditional and prosperous homelands. Thankfully our leaders, while at the table negotiating with the federal government, had the foresight to insert into the treaty a long-term provision they knew would serve in our best interest for generations to come. They bargained with the federal government, as mutual sovereigns, for the guaranteed right to have a Cherokee Congressional delegate, so that we would always have a voice in Washington, D.C.

Today, more than 63% of our nearly 380,000 tribal citizens reside outside Cherokee Nation’s legal jurisdiction. One thing we’ve heard loud and clear: Our at-large Cherokees want to be involved with their tribe. To better engage the perspectives of our at-large citizens, the CN has established the At-Large Cherokee Advisory Committee.

When I served as secretary of state, one of my greatest joys was visiting our Cherokee communities and hearing input from our citizens across Oklahoma and throughout the country. And today as principal chief, I remain committed to enhancing civic and cultural engagement between the CN and our at-large CN citizens.