Native Organizing

As the United States marked its 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, Native leaders, scholars, and advocates say the country’s milestone cannot be understood without acknowledging the Indigenous nations that predate the U.S and the promises that remain unfulfilled.

During a Native News Online live stream, America 250: A Republic Built on Native Land, hosted by Editor Levi Rickert, five conversations explored what America’s semiquincentennial means from Native perspectives. Guests included Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr.; Navajo author and activist Mark Charles; Native Organizers Alliance Executive Director Judith LeBlanc; and professors Anton Treuer and Dina Gilio-Whitaker.

Although their perspectives differed, each agreed on one point: the nation’s history and its future must include Native voices.

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This week the Supreme Court affirmed the constitutional right to birthright citizenship for anyone born in the United States.

But the citizenship of the original inhabitants of these lands should never have been put into question. This country was founded on the blood of our ancestors who have loved and cared for this land long before the United States existed.

On July 4th, as we mark the 250 years of existence of the U.S., we must remember and remind others that unless you know where you have come from, it is difficult to know how to move forward. Our collective history of this land stretches back millennia.

Our ancestors built governments, created trade routes, organized multi-tribal sporting events, sustained communities, and adapted through profound challenges — including climate shifts, displacement, and attempts to erase our ways of life.

That resilience is not just our history; it is the wisdom guiding us today.

We have a collective responsibility not only to protect what we have inherited from our ancestors, but to help shape what comes next for the betterment of all.

The next 250 years begin with all of us. It is time to resist, reimagine, repair, reclaim, and rebuild. Together, we can create a future rooted in justice, equity, and self-governance that is people-powered, not profit-driven.

The challenges we face today did not emerge overnight. They are rooted in systems and structures established 250 years ago that were designed to serve a select few of the rich while excluding the majority. These systems are also premised on the limitless expansion and control of land and natural resources for the profit of a few.

Understanding that history is essential if we are to reshape those systems and build a more just political and economic system now and for the future.

Together we will keep walking with our ancestors toward a better future for all.

The post 250 years of U.S. history & thousands of years of Indigenous history appeared first on Native Organizers Alliance.

Florida officials announced the closure of “Alligator Alcatraz” on June 25, 2026.

The federal government, with the support of the State of Florida, constructed and operated Alligator Alcatraz in violation of the sovereign rights of the Miccosukee Tribe, who took the government to court for illegally constructing the center without their consultation or consent.

As Native peoples, we have a sacred obligation passed down from our ancestors to care for the land and everyone who depends on it. The construction of the detention center in Florida was on the ancestral lands of the Miccosukee Tribe. The buildings endangered delicate and protected ecosystems. Alligator Alcatraz put thousands of immigrants at risk. The reported filthy and unsafe conditions were a violation of the human rights of immigrants and their families.

The administration’s violent crackdown on migrant communities is an affront to all we stand for as Native peoples. We are opposed to any government operation that violates the human rights of our neighbors and all who reside on this land. As we saw in Minneapolis earlier this year, ICE operations operate with little to no oversight or safeguards, acting illegally in many cases. Multiple people, including babies, have died in, or as a result of, ICE custody. This must end.

The closure of Alligator Alcatraz is a victory for human rights and Tribal Sovereignty, but we want to see an end to all inhumane and unlawful detention of our neighbors who are simply trying to live, work, and raise their families.

This story was originally published in Native News Online.

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In 2001, the Roadless Area Conservation Rule was adopted with massive public support to protect 58.5 million acres of roadless national forest land in 39 states. The Roadless Rule was the result of years of work and public input. The public comment period set a record with 1.6 million public comments submitted. The rule protects 58.5 million acres of national forests over 39 states from new road construction, and prohibits the logging of roadless areas in the National Forest System.

On Aug 29 2025, the USDA published a notice of intent, kicking off a 21 -day comment period which ended September 19. We generated more than 620,000 public comments for that comment period.

As we prepare for another public comment period around the release of the draft Environmental Impact Statement in Spring/Summer 2026, we’re continuing calls to action to protect the Roadless Rule to ensure the federal government and our elected officials are aware of the public’s desire to keep the rule intact.

The post Roadless Rule Defense Toolkit appeared first on Native Organizers Alliance.