{"id":429454,"date":"2026-02-23T00:01:41","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T06:01:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/?p=429454"},"modified":"2026-02-23T12:00:29","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T18:00:29","slug":"chuck-hoskin-cherokee-nation-must-not-hide-from-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2026\/02\/23\/chuck-hoskin-cherokee-nation-must-not-hide-from-history\/","title":{"rendered":"Chuck Hoskin: Cherokee Nation must not hide from history"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"fb-video\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheCherokeeNation\/videos\/1530554951339181\/\" data-width=\"auto\" data-show-text=\"false\"><blockquote cite=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheCherokeeNation\/videos\/1530554951339181\/\" class=\"fb-xfbml-parse-ignore\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheCherokeeNation\/videos\/1530554951339181\/\"><\/a><p>\ud83d\udd34LIVE: Tune in as Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. provides remarks at the Cherokee Nation Black History Month celebration!<\/p>Posted by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheCherokeeNation\">Cherokee Nation<\/a> on Monday, February 16, 2026<\/blockquote><\/div>\r\n<figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">Cherokee Nation: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheCherokeeNation\/videos\/1530554951339181\/\">Black History Month Celebration<\/a>\r\n<\/figcaption>\r\n<div class=\"h3-responsive font-weight-bold\">Cherokee Nation: Telling the Full Story During Black History Month<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"date\">Monday, February 23, 2026<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"byline\">By Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. <A href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ChuckHoskin_Jr\"><I aria-hidden=true class=\"fab fa-twitter\"><\/I><\/A><\/div>\r\n<div class=\"source\">Cherokee Nation<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"source-links\"><A \r\nhref=\"https:\/\/www.cherokee.org\/\">cherokee.org<\/A><\/div>\r\n<p><\/P>\r\nEach 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\u2019s participation in the enslavement of Black people and the enduring experience of Cherokee Freedmen.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nThis week, <a href=\"https:\/\/anadisgoi.com\/index.php\/culture-stories\/cherokee-nation-celebrates-black-history-month-with-report-on-enslavement-new-investments\">we published the findings<\/a> of the Task Force to Examine the Impact of Enslavement on Cherokee Nation\u2019s 19th Century Economy and Infrastructure. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cherokee.org\/media\/unnexnou\/impact-of-enslaved-labor-on-cherokee-nationss-economy-task-force-report.pdf\">The report<\/a> presents clear and sobering historical facts. It is not simply an academic exercise, but rather an act of moral responsibility.<\/P>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nPrior to removal, about 6.74% of Cherokee households \u2014 largely mixed-blood families with ties to white ancestors \u2014 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\u20131839 forced removal. \r\n<P><\/P>\r\n<div class=\"fb-post\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheCherokeeNation\/posts\/pfbid02sutWq6w8BZQ1C8HnhhxnLRL7v9wSE2rXnhsPMqDa3LjffeHwBq1JfYv9AEL19irRl\" data-width=\"\" data-show-text=\"true\"><blockquote cite=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheCherokeeNation\/posts\/1332426408916957\" class=\"fb-xfbml-parse-ignore\"><p>Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr., Cherokee Nation Deputy Principal Chief Bryan Warner, tribal leaders,&#8230;<\/p>Posted by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheCherokeeNation\">Cherokee Nation<\/a> on&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheCherokeeNation\/posts\/1332426408916957\">Monday, February 16, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote><\/div>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nThese are difficult truths. But they are truths, nonetheless. \r\n<P><\/P>\r\nThe Treaty of 1866 guaranteed citizenship rights to formerly enslaved people, or Freedmen, and their descendants in perpetuity. These rights were not conditional. Freedmen should not have needed to struggle for more than 150 years for their rights or be told to go beg for their rights at the ballot box. We must recognize that the long struggle to honor that promise is also part of our history and our responsibility. \r\n<P><\/P>\r\nThe report will guide future dialogue. Additionally, a new executive order will ensure that Cherokee Nation museums, historic sites and related materials comprehensively reflect the history of Cherokee Freedmen. We cannot celebrate Cherokee self-determination while ignoring its complexity. We cannot champion justice today, without acknowledging where we fell short in the past. Our sovereignty is not diminished by the truth. It is strengthened by it. \r\n<P><\/P>\r\n<div class=\"fb-video\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheCherokeeNation\/videos\/2028670094362453\/\" data-width=\"auto\" data-show-text=\"false\"><blockquote cite=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheCherokeeNation\/videos\/2028670094362453\/\" class=\"fb-xfbml-parse-ignore\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheCherokeeNation\/videos\/2028670094362453\/\"><\/a><p>\ud83d\udd34 LIVE: Tune in as Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr., joined by other Cherokee Nation leaders, signs an Executive Order to ensure that Cherokee Nation Museums, Historic Sites and related materials accurately and fully reflect the Cherokee Nation Experience Enslaving Black People, Emancipation and the Freedmen Experience. \u2764\ufe0f<\/p>Posted by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheCherokeeNation\">Cherokee Nation<\/a> on Saturday, February 21, 2026<\/blockquote><\/div>\r\n<figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">Cherokee Nation: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheCherokeeNation\/videos\/2028670094362453\/\">Reflecting the Cherokee Nation Experience Enslaving Black People, Emancipation and the Freedmen Experience<\/a>\r\n<\/figcaption>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nBlack History Month events across the Cherokee Nation Reservation, which includes the historic Greenwood District in Tulsa, remind us that our history is deeply intertwined with many communities. Cherokee Freedmen families helped build the businesses, churches and neighborhoods that shaped Oklahoma&#8217;s history. That legacy is one of perseverance in the face of adversity. \r\n<P><\/P>\r\nOur commitment must extend beyond words toward action. That is why we recently completed a $2.2 million Cherokee Nation North Tulsa Community Building, where an elder nutrition program will launch this summer.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nWe have selected artist Stanley Boydston&#8217;s design for a Freedmen monument to be placed at the Cherokee National History Museum&#8217;s Capitol Square in Tahlequah, establishing permanent acknowledgment in the heart of our capital city. \r\n<P><\/P>\r\n<div class=row>\r\n<div class=col-7>\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2026\/02\/23\/chuck-hoskin-cherokee-nation-must-not-hide-from-history\/stanleyboydstonfreedmenmonument\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-429460\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1534\" height=\"2048\" data-attachment-id=\"429460\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2026\/02\/23\/chuck-hoskin-cherokee-nation-must-not-hide-from-history\/stanleyboydstonfreedmenmonument\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/23\/StanleyBoydstonFreedmenMonument.jpeg\" data-orig-size=\"1534,2048\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Stanley Boydston Freedmen Monument\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;Stanley Boydston Freedmen Monument&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;A design by artist Stanley Boydston has been selected for the Cherokee Nation Freedmen Monument to be placed at the Cherokee National History Museum capitol square in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. image courtesy Stanley Boydston&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/23\/StanleyBoydstonFreedmenMonument.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/23\/StanleyBoydstonFreedmenMonument.jpeg\" alt=\"Stanley Boydston Freedmen Monument\"  class=\"size-full wp-image-429460\" \/><\/a><\/div>\r\n<div class=\"col-5 align-self-end\"><figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">A design by artist Stanley Boydston has been selected for the Cherokee Nation Freedmen Monument to be placed at the Cherokee National History Museum capitol square in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. image courtesy Stanley Boydston<\/figcaption><\/div><\/div>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nAnd through late April, we will showcase the exhibit &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/anadisgoi.com\/index.php\/culture-stories\/cherokee-nation-holds-program-surrounding-cherokee-freedmen-exhibit\">We Are Cherokee: Cherokee Freedmen and the Right to Citizenship<\/a>&#8221; at the Anna Mitchell Cultural Center in Vinita. \r\n<P><\/P>\r\nAs Principal Chief, I believe our sovereignty is strongest when grounded in truth. Cherokee values, like community and responsibility, demand that we confront difficult history head-on with courage. \r\n<P><\/P>\r\nThe Cherokee Nation has endured because we adapt and grow. Black History Month gives us the opportunity to affirm that the Cherokee story includes Freedmen history. Black Heritage is not a footnote but an essential part of who we are. We\u2019ve made a promise to future generations of Cherokees: we will not hide from history but learn from it.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n<HR><div class=\"row\"><div class=\"col-md-3\">\r\n<img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/23\/chuckhoskinavatar.jpg\" alt=\"Chuck Hoskin Jr\" width=\"140\" height=\"140\" class=\"rounded-circle\" \/><\/div>\r\n<div class=\"col-md-9\"><EM><A href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ChuckHoskin_Jr\">Chuck Hoskin Jr.<\/A> \r\nis the 18th elected Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, the largest Indian \r\ntribe in the United States. He is only the second elected Principal Chief of the \r\nCherokee Nation from Vinita, the first being Thomas Buffington, who served from \r\n1899-1903. Prior to being elected Principal Chief, Hoskin served as the tribe\u2019s \r\nSecretary of State. He also formerly served as a member of the Council of the \r\nCherokee Nation, representing District 11 for six years.<\/EM><\/div><\/div><HR>\r\n<img src=https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/23\/StanleyBoydstonFreedmenMonument.jpg width=0 height=0 class=invisible>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"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.","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":429474,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_vp_format_video_url":"","_vp_image_focal_point":[],"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[77,76,1213,127,47,154],"class_list":["post-429454","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opinion","tag-cherokee","tag-chuck-hoskin","tag-freedmen","tag-oklahoma","tag-race","tag-treaties","no-wpautop"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/23\/StanleyBoydstonFreedmenMonument.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pcoJ7g-1NIG","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/429454","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=429454"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/429454\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":429489,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/429454\/revisions\/429489"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/429474"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=429454"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=429454"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=429454"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}