‘Voting is visibility’: California tribal communities celebrate century of voter rights
.jpg "Representatives from nearly 100 federally recognized tribes hold up their nation’s flags at the Capitol on Friday. The celebration marked the 57th annual California Native American Day in the state.")
There’s a common phrase among Native American communities: It’s a good day to be Indigenous.
It’s an affirmation that it’s good to be alive, to be a continuation of your ancestors’ legacy.
In a way, every day is a good day to be Indigenous, said Erica Pinto, chairwoman of the Jamul Indian Village based in Southern California. But it’s especially true on California Native American Day, where nearly 100 tribal nations gathered to celebrate the perseverance of Indigenous people on Friday at the West Capitol steps through voting rights.
California currently has the largest Native population in the nation, with more than 700,000 self-identified in the state. There are 110 federally recognized tribes in California.
On the 57th celebration of California Native American Day, the voting rights and citizenship of California’s First People was spotlighted. For Native Americans, the fight to be included in democracy has been a 100 year long fight and endeavor.
“Let (today) be a reminder of the resilience, the strength and the enduring spirit of tribal communities from across the state,” said Jesus Tarango, the chairman of Wilton Rancheria.
Native American voter rights
Native Americans were not recognized as United States citizens until 1924. They had no right to vote and were excluded from the fourteenth amendment, which gives citizenship to those born or naturalized in the United States.
Native Americans were recognized as American citizens after the Indian Citizenship Act passed. However, full voter rights weren’t established until 1948, another twenty years later.
“It’s incredible to think that it was only 100 short years ago that our people were not considered citizens of this nation and were not afforded the right to vote,” Pinto said. “...We recognize that many states take measures to this day to make it more difficult for our people, Native voters, to make it to the polls. We need to change that.”
Native American face several challenges nationwide with voter suppression. Voting can be inaccessible for tribal communities, due to factors like inadequate investment in resources, outreach and poor infrastructure on reservations.
While obstacles persist, there are organizations doing the work to make sure Native voices are heard, like the California Native Vote. A state-wide effort that began in Los Angeles in 2016, and later expanded to Sacramento in 2020, encourages tribal communities to participate in civic engagement and democracy.
“Vote is visibility,” said Calvin Hedrick, an organizer with California Native Vote. “Being out and campaigning, getting more people interested is important. It lets people know that we’re still here, but even more than that. That we’re not willing to just stand by and not have our voices be heard.”
California Native Vote helps tribal communities register to vote, conduct community organizing and educate young people. Hedrick, who is Mountain Maidu, said the organization gets Native people to not only vote in elections, but to be involved in schools and city council meetings.
The organization has be advocating for education reform to recognize the California genocide and the renaming of locations named after colonizers, like Kelseyville in Lake County. Kelseyville is named after Andrew Kelsey, who murdered and enslaved Pomo and Wappo people in the mid-1800s, according to the Press Democrat.
Overall, Hedrick said to achieve visibility for Native people politically, there needs to be a fundamental understanding of sovereignty.
“We’re constantly struggling to make sure people understand sovereignty,” Hedrick said. “We should not be always looked at as a racial group. We are a sovereign nation. It’s the understanding of who we are politically as sovereign nations.”
The day’s festivities also highlighted other important Native figures in American democracy. The accomplishments of Alice Piper, a 15-year-old Paiute student who successfully sued the Big Pine School District in Inyo County to integrate Native students in California schools, were boasted by Assemblyman James Ramos, D-San Bernandino.
Ramos, who is Serrano-Cahuilla and the only Native lawmaker in the California legislature, said Piper’s cause would set to a precedent in the Brown vs. Board of Education decision, which ended segregation in public schools.
“(That decision) was led by Indian people to bring down the walls of segregation,” Ramos said. “We continue to look at those that are championing areas around us, to make sure that areas continue to move forward from 1924 to where we are today, honoring people, honoring all California Indian people.”
This story was originally published September 28, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
