Thoughts at the close of the day when we published a collective letter with over 140 Cherokee signatures and over 200 total Native citizens asking @ewarren to begin to repair the harm she has caused by falsely claiming Cherokee heritage:
1. The campaign's lack of engagement beyond the 12-page response is telling. They do not want to talk about this in person or online. They want this statement to do the talking for them. Only one Cherokee is cited in the 88 footnotes.
2. Many white people responded with a version of "but she believed her parents". Yes, this is true. It is not in dispute. She believed them, and then she was presented with evidence that their story is false. We are asking her to admit that, but she has not admitted that.
3. There was a lot of "but what about..." (Trump, domestic policy, the Oliphant decision, the Cherokee Freedmen, unenrolled Natives, etc.). This is a form of gaslighting or else deflection, that pivots away from the core issue of Warren telling or not telling the truth.
4. There was a strange insistence on Warren's apology. As if that were enough to resolve this issue. As if contrition were the end goal. We have no interest in her contrition, and cannot accept her apology or reject it on behalf of Cherokee people. No one can.
5. The insistence on her apology again centers a white woman's feelings rather than our communities' needs. It is a form of rhetorical sidestepping that proves effective because it appears (or is) sincere, but does not respond to the request for clarity.
6. At no point did we ask for yet another apology from her. We aim for her to prevent future cases just like hers from happening again.
7. If she wants to propose a plan that actually does this--actually prevents future theft of our resources by white people with similar stories--then that would be interesting.
8. The coverage from conservative news outlets consistently reported us as "members" rather than "citizens" of Native nations, and often attributed the letter to the Cherokee Nation itself, rather than concerned citizens.
9. Conservative media also frequently used the "Pocahontas" slur uncritically, effectively reviving it for their audience. This is strategic and racist.
10. Correcting white people bullshit is exhausting, but I'm super grateful for @justicedanielh @rebeccanagle and @pollysgdaughter for being there throughout the day with encouragement and grit and kindness. Big time wado. #StepUpWarren #CherokeeTruth
