“In my statement from last year I said, ‘As Native people, we are not only reclaiming our narratives, but we are also forging new paths forward.’ Those words still hold true, but today, they carry a heavier weight.
We are living through dark times. Communities across our country are under attack, immigrant families are disappearing under the weaponization of ICE and local law enforcement, and Indigenous peoples around the world continue to face oppression for protecting their lands and lifeways. This must stop.
Indigenous Peoples’ Day is not just a celebration of who we are, but a reminder of what we refuse to accept: silence, injustice, and fear. Our resilience was born from survival, but our strength now comes from unity. We are still here, still rising, and still leading with the same courage our ancestors carried before us.
To every Idahoan, I have a request of you. Take time today to learn about the Tribes whose ancestral lands you live upon. Volunteer with your local Tribal community. Support Native-led nonprofits doing the work of healing and restoration. Donate to local mutual aids. Donate to your favorite Native candidates. We can, and we will, find our way through these tense times together; by protecting one another, by choosing empathy over fear, and by remembering that democracy only survives when we choose to defend it.”
Trish Carter-Goodheart
Chair of the Native American Democratic Caucus of Idaho