Congress has an opportunity to honor a 200-year-old commitment to Native Americans

Over the past year, the Native American community has made unprecedented strides toward achieving equal representation throughout government.

The 117th Congress ushered in the largest Native delegation in U.S. history; Deb Haaland became the first Native American interior secretary; Mohegan Chief Marilynn Malerba became the first Native American to serve as U.S. treasurer; and Mary Peltola became the first Alaska Native elected to Congress. While these were all monumental victories for Native Americans, they underscored the representation that has been denied to our people for centuries.

As we enter National Native American Heritage Month, which is recognized every November, it’s crucial that we use these victories to propel our push toward equal representation. This week, tribal leaders and citizens from across Indian Country are convening in Sacramento for the National Congress of American Indians’ Annual Convention and Marketplace. This year’s convention coincides with a new campaign launched by the Cherokee Nation to seat their treaty-mandated delegate in Congress. The campaign represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity for Indian Country to finally get a seat at the table where important policy decisions are made — a seat that has been denied us for too long.

In exchange for moving west on what became known as the Trail of Tears during one of the most violent periods in U.S. history, the Cherokee Nation was guaranteed a delegate to the U.S. Congress in the Treaty of New Echota. For nearly 200 years, the United States has refused to uphold its end of the bargain despite the fact that the treaty was ratified by the Senate and signed into law by the president.

This is a story and a pattern familiar to Native Americans. Our voices have been silenced, our lands stolen and our treaty rights ignored. It’s past time for the U.S. to finally fulfill its promise to the Cherokee Nation by seating Kim Teehee in Congress and giving all Native Americans a stronger voice in government.

Teehee, the delegate-designee for the Cherokee Nation, is widely respected for her proven ability to reach across the aisle to deliver results for Native Americans. I have no doubt that if she is seated in the House, Teehee will be a strong, effective advocate for all Native Americans.

While the treaty-mandated delegate is unique to the Cherokee people, seating the delegate would be a landmark victory for all Native Americans. It would permanently alter the relationship between the U.S. and Native Americans for the better. It would also significantly affect federal Native American policy by ensuring that more tribal voices are heard at the highest levels of government. As a delegate, Teehee would be able to protect and amplify the interests of not only the Cherokee Nation but all Native Americans.

Indian Country is a diverse and vast community of nearly 7 million Native Americans residing in all 50 states. The U.S. government has an opportunity to show that it’s serious about honoring its commitment to Indian Country by seating the Cherokee delegate.

Representation matters. If our voices are not heard, meaningful policy outcomes aren’t possible. We are on the precipice of meaningful change for all of Indian Country. We just need Congress to act.