Guest Opinion. Each February, we pause to honor the achievements and enduring contributions of Black Americans. At the Cherokee Nation, Black History Month also calls to examine our own history honestly and to commit ourselves to telling the full truth about who we are. We have a responsibility of telling the full story of our past, including our Nation’s participation in the enslavement of Black people and the enduring experience of Cherokee Freedmen.
This week, we published the findings of the Task Force to Examine the Impact of Enslavement on Cherokee Nation’s 19th Century Economy and Infrastructure. The report presents clear and sobering historical facts. It is not simply an academic exercise, but rather an act of moral responsibility.
Prior to removal, about 6.74% of Cherokee households — largely mixed-blood families with ties to white ancestors — comprised an enslaver class. Prominent Cherokees were among them, including 11 of the 12 signers of the 1827 Cherokee Constitution. By 1835, Cherokees owned nearly 1,600 enslaved people. Enslaved people operated plantations, built roads and public buildings, and were pivotal to rebuilding the Cherokee Nation following the 1838–1839 forced removal…