We Need a Native American Supreme Court Justice

A chance to make it right

A short history of who was here before. Newspaper Rock. Credit: Author.

One of the poorest areas in the entire United States of America is Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. Many of our most bountiful lands are part of the jewel of the world — our National Park system. These places share a commonality— they involved the stripping of land, rights, and prosperity from Native American tribes. There has never been a better time to correct past injustices and the way forward is to put a Native American on the Supreme Court.

The abuses of the court system on the native tribes are never-ending. I know there is a call for Biden to nominate a black woman to this highly visible space, however, the Supreme Bench is devoid of anyone who has a heritage in this land for the past 1000 years. I am not against having people of color on the bench and believe that everyone needs an equal opportunity for success. Diversity strengthens our cause and creates a foundation as solid as the strongest concrete. The Supreme Court is already a diverse body with regard to race and gender. Its representations include a black man, a Spanish woman, two white women, and yes, white men. It lacks the representation of those that bore the brunt of our most egregious sins. The acts committed are far worse than even slavery (if you can imagine) and contain genocidal acts on par with some of the most…