Apache Stronghold '250 Years Later, What Does Freedom Mean for Indigenous Peoples

As the United States prepares to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, I find myself asking a different question: What does independence mean for Indigenous peoples whose lands, religions, and sovereignty continue to be threatened?

As a young Indigenous woman, I am fighting to protect my identity, defend our sacred sites, and preserve a future for the generations who will come after me. For me, this anniversary is less a celebration than a reminder that the nation's founding brought extreme losses for Indigenous peoples—our lands, sovereignty, cultures, and countless lives. It is also a reminder that many of those struggles continue today.

It is difficult to celebrate America when its actions so often fall short of the values it claims to uphold.

Like many children, I grew up reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in school and was taught to be proud to be an American. As I have gotten older, learned more about our history, and began paying attention to what is happening in our country and around the world, I started to question what that pride is rooted in. How can we celebrate liberty and justice while continuing to disregard the rights of the first peoples of this land?

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