#indigenous-sovereignty

#indigenous-sovereignty

That number represents roughly 7% of the state's land and waters. It also corresponds with the amount of land the federal government promised it would hold as reservations for Indigenous tribes after California joined the union in 1850. Congress ultimately rejected these treaties in a secret meeting - after pressure from the state - and failed to notify tribes, many of whom upheld their end of the agreement to relocate.

Next year marks the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States of America. While from the administration of President Donald Trump and his supporters we can expect a year full of toxic nationalism-misdescribed, of course, as "patriotism"-it will likely fall largely on Black and Indigenous people to hold up a mirror to the nation and carve out space for accountability, honesty, and repair.