Connecting Circles

On this day in 1919, Congress approved the woman’s suffrage amendment and sent it to the states for ratification. Adding the amendment to the Constitution required ratification by three-fourths of the states, which at that time was 36 of 48.

The National Woman’s Party led by Alice Paul began sewing stars on a giant purple, white, and gold flag. Each time a state ratified the 19th Amendment, a new star would be sewn on the flag.

The 19th Amendment became law more than a year after Congress approved the amendment. The 36th state, Tennessee, voted to ratify on August 18, 1920. This image shows Alice Paul unfurling that flag from the suffrage headquarters on that day.

The Library of Congress is home to the NWP records and library collection.

Image: Photo shows a group of women waving their arms in celebration while the ratification banner with its 36 victory stars hangs from the balcony of the National Woman's Party headquarters. 1920. Photo by Harris & Ewing. National Women's Party Records, Library of Congress.

The Cherokee Nation made history by becoming the first Native American tribe to deposit traditional heirloom seeds into the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway. Among the nine rare varieties they secured were seeds dating back centuries before European settlement—including the sacred Cherokee White Eagle Corn, a crop woven into the fabric of Cherokee identity, history, and food systems.

This move goes far beyond agriculture. It's an act of cultural preservation that links ancestors to future generations, ensuring that the foods and knowledge that have sustained Cherokee people for hundreds of years won't be lost to climate change, agricultural challenges, or global crises.

Food sovereignty has always been central to Native American self-determination. By protecting these ancestral crops in a global repository, the Cherokee Nation is reclaiming their right to grow and nourish themselves with the foods their people have cultivated for millennia. The seeds represent survival, resilience, and a profound connection to the land that no crisis can erase. It's a powerful reminder that cultural preservation and agricultural preservation are inseparable—and that honoring our past is how we build a more rooted future.

On this day in 1924, the Indian Citizenship Act, also known as the Snyder Act, was signed into law, granting U.S. citizenship to all Native Americans born within the United States. The legislation marked a historic shift after Native people had long been excluded from citizenship under both the U.S. Constitution and the 14th Amendment.

But while the law recognized Native Americans as citizens, it did not guarantee full civil rights. Many states continued using discriminatory practices to block Native people from voting for decades, including restrictions tied to reservation residency, taxation, and tribal enrollment. Even Native veterans, including Code Talkers returning from World War II, were denied access to the ballot box.

More than a century later, Native communities still face barriers to equal access and political representation, making the anniversary both a reflection on progress and a reminder of the work that remains.

in 1921, the two-day Tulsa Race Massacre began.

A white mob attacked the predominantly Black Greenwood neighborhood of Tulsa, Oklahoma, destroying homes, businesses and entire city blocks of what was known as “Black Wall Street.”

As many as 300 people were killed, thousands were left homeless, and generations of Black wealth and opportunity were erased.

The Tulsa Race Massacre remains one of the deadliest acts of racial violence in U.S. history and a reminder of the lasting impact of white supremacist violence.

The South Sierra Miwuk Nation, a Native American tribe originally displaced from Yosemite National Park, has recently regained nearly 900 acres of land bordering the park, marking a significant step in Indigenous cultural and land restoration. This land transfer, facilitated by Pacific Forest Trust, comes 175 years after the tribe was forcibly removed from their ancestral lands. The reclaimed area represents a small portion of Yosemite’s 1,169 square miles but holds immense cultural and ecological importance for the tribe. Tribal leaders, such as Sandra Chapman, the Southern Sierra Miwuk Nation's Tribal Council Chair, have expressed deep gratitude, stating that the land will serve as both a sanctuary for their people and a space for healing and cultural renewal.

The Southern Sierra Miwuk Nation’s traditional ecological practices, particularly their use of fire to manage forests and prevent wildfires, are a cornerstone of the tribe’s stewardship. These practices, once dismissed by European settlers as primitive, have now been recognized for their value in controlling wildfires and maintaining forest health. Over the years, there has been a shift in U.S. forest management policies, with agencies like the National Park Service and the Forest Service incorporating prescribed fires into their strategies. The transfer of land will allow the Southern Sierra Miwuk people to once again practice these vital techniques, bringing their cultural knowledge to the forefront of fire management and conservation efforts.

This land transfer not only holds cultural significance but also serves a practical purpose in addressing modern environmental challenges. By restoring traditional fire practices, the tribe is contributing to the management of California’s wildfires, which have become increasingly destructive. The land’s location, just west of Chinquapin/Badger Pass, allows for better wildlife movement across private-public corridors, which is crucial for plants and animals adapting to climate change. Tara Fouch-Moore, the tribe's secretary, highlighted that the project would foster the cultivation of traditional foods, fibers, and medicines while enhancing the landscape's resilience.

The Pacific Forest Trust, which acquired the land over two decades ago to protect it from vacation home development, played a key role in preparing the land for this transfer. After the devastating 2018 Ferguson fire, the trust restored 500 acres, ensuring the land’s ecological health before returning it to the tribe. This project is considered a model for other land reclamation efforts across California, showing how returning land to Indigenous groups not only supports their cultural heritage but also contributes to broader environmental and conservation goals. It also strengthens the Southern Sierra Miwuk Nation’s ongoing push for federal recognition, which they have been pursuing since 1982. This partnership exemplifies how conservation and cultural restoration can go hand in hand, benefiting both the tribe and the surrounding environment.

We are deeply concerned by reports that Redwood National Park flagged Native books and materials for possible removal or review.

These actions raise serious questions about whose histories are being protected, whose voices are being silenced, and how public institutions fulfill their responsibility to educate honestly and inclusively.

These books are not political threats. They are essential records of Indigenous knowledge, culture, history, and lived experience.

Removing or targeting these works undermines decades of progress toward truth-telling, representation, and respect for Tribal Nations whose homelands include the very landscapes national parks were created to preserve.

Efforts to restrict access to Native perspectives erase context, diminish understanding, and perpetuate harmful narratives that have historically excluded Indigenous peoples from telling their own stories.

ATALM is calling for transparency and accountability in this process. Public lands and public institutions must remain places where diverse histories are acknowledged and where Indigenous knowledge is respected, not censored.

We encourage our members and partners to continue supporting Native literature, amplifying Indigenous voices, and defending intellectual freedom in all spaces where cultural memory is preserved and shared.

Here is a list of the books on the chopping block:

1. We Are the Land: A History of Native California by Damon B. Akins and William J. Bauer Jr.

2. California Through Native Eyes: Reclaiming History by William J. Bauer Jr.

3. We Are Dancing for You: Native Feminisms and the Revitalization of Women's Coming-of-Age Ceremonies by Cutcha Risling Baldy

4. California Indians and Their Environment by Kent Lightfoot

5. Adopted by Indians by Thomas Jefferson Mayfield :

6. Changing the Way We See Native America by Matika Wilbur

7. Women's Prose and Poetry About Nature by Lorraine Anderson Grave

8. Matters: Excavating the Dreams of the Dead in Nineteenth-Century
9. Notable Native People: 50 Indigenous Leaders, Dreamers, and Changemakers with Spirit by Adrienne Keene