The Cherokee Nation, one of the largest Native American tribes, is acknowledging its role in slavery and discrimination against its Black members.
Axios reports that Cherokee officials are searching for the descendants of Black slaves who were once owned by tribal members and asking them to share their family stories. It’s an effort to acknowledge the evils of slavery and correct the lost history of Black Cherokees.
“The act of slavery, which was condoned by a Cherokee law, was wrong and a stain on the Cherokee Nation,” Chuck Hoskin Jr., the Cherokee Nation’s principal chief, said. “As chief, I apologize that we did that, and then we’re taking affirmative steps to remedy that.”
