From the start, our nation’s history with indigenous groups has been filled with bloodshed and cruel acts of injustice – from European colonists wiping out communities to the American government forcing men, women, and children out of their ancestral homes. Although the federal government has signed numerous treaties with Native tribes to promote peace and acknowledge their sovereignties, it broke many of these treaties in the name of land exploitation and expansion. 

Because of these past transgressions and broken promises, indigenous communities today face multiple hardships, from high poverty rates and inadequate healthcare services to substandard housing, and more. With the recent voter suppression attempts after the 2018 midterms in North Dakota and the Tongva people’s struggle to access federal rescue funds due to lack of federal recognition, the list of challenges is, unfortunately, escalating. 

Although it’s no easy task, our federal government must step up to atone and make amends for the cumulative offenses of U.S. policies. We need to right past wrongs and find remedies for the issues caused by these previous misdeeds. 

After all, according to the Friends Committee on National Legislation, “The federal government should provide adequate funding for the essentials of life, not as a gift or as charity, but as the fulfillment of commitments made at the founding and throughout the expansion of this nation.”