Across the land of the United States, there are 574 federally recognized Tribal Nations and more than 200 non-federally recognized Tribes, each with its own language, culture, and traditions. The Midwest encompasses 35 of those Nations, including my own, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. Growing up, the community narrative surrounding Native people was entirely negative, and I was constantly made to feel inadequate for my Indigenous features and brown skin. I still recall the first time a teacher called me an apple (red on the outside, white on the inside), and the comments “you have a beautiful skin tone for an Indian” reverberate in my mind today. Growing up in a community that saw Native people as inferior was challenging and led me to believe that I could only achieve so much because I am Indigenous.

Today, I fully embrace who I am, a young Lakota woman who wants to celebrate our tribal nation’s cultures and foster a space for racial diversity engagement that is open to all. As Sheryl Sandberg writes, “We cannot change what we are not aware of, and once we are aware, we cannot help but change.” I will change the false narrative surrounding Native people to ensure that there is a future where every Indigenous child has the opportunity to succeed and not face the challenges I did. False narratives and Indigenous invisibility have harmful and long-term effects that normalize bias, discrimination, and racism. Ultimately, my own experiences and passion for cultural advocacy became my social impact initiative, Celebrating Culture & Driving Diversity.

This three-part initiative seeks to

1. Educate the public about contemporary NativeAmericans,

2. Engage Americans in open dialogue regarding racial inequality, and

3. Empower all to drive diversity and be agents of change.

As the national spotlight touches on major issues like the Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women’s (MMIW) movement, the discoveries of buried bodies of children forced into boarding schools, and the continued strife that Native youth in foster care face, my message has never been more critical. It’s imperative that Indigenous voices continue to be at the table during these discoveries and discussions. As the first Lakota Miss Minnesota, I will be at the head of that table to advocate and elevate Indigenous voices.