As we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States, we should also have the courage to tell the full story of this country. It is a story of freedom and sacrifice, but it is also a story that begins with the occupation of lands inhabited by Native people since time immemorial and the forced removal of Native Americans through federal policies rooted in assimilation.
As families gather under fireworks and flags, this moment should not be about diminishing America’s promise, but about telling the fuller story of how that promise has been tested, denied, defended, and still pursued.
Despite this painful history, Native Americans have always stepped forward when called to defend this nation. Native Americans serve in the armed forces at higher rates per capita than any other group in the United States. Their service can be seen throughout this country’s wars, including World War II, when the Navajo Code Talkers played an instrumental role in securing victory.
Ira Hayes, a Pima or Akimel O’odham from the Gila River Indian Community, stood alongside his fellow Marines as the American flag was raised on Iwo Jima. Even after a government had used policies to strip Native people of their culture, language, land, and traditions, Native Americans were still there to defend freedom.
California’s own history carries these same truths. In 1776, this region remained under Spanish rule, a period that brought great destruction to California Indian populations. Tribal Nations were displaced from their homelands, captured, and forced into involuntary servitude.
By 1849, Manifest Destiny had reached the West Coast with the discovery of gold, forcing even more Tribal Nations from their lands. When California entered the United States in 1850, one of its first acts was to wage war against California’s First People, funding militias with taxpayer dollars to seize land and resources.
This raw history must be told and acknowledged. We do not have to look far to see its impact in our own region. These are not distant stories from another place. They are part of the land beneath our homes, roads, schools, parks, and communities.
In 1866, the Yuhaaviatam, the People of the Pines, were persecuted by a state-formed militia whose purpose was to remove Native people from the mountains. At the same time, the region’s early economy was also shaped by Native knowledge, labor, and ingenuity. In 1819, Serrano people hand-dug the Zanja using cattle shoulder blades, carrying water from Mill Creek to what is now Redlands and Loma Linda.
To tell this history is not to reject America. It is to believe America is strong enough, and good enough, to face the truth and keep becoming better.
But out of great despair came great resilience.
As we mark 250 years of this nation, through both its triumphs and its injustices, we do not have to look far to see the strength of Native people. From being hunted down to fewer than 30 members, to becoming one of the largest employers in the region with nearly 8,000 employees, this is a story of survival, strength, and renewal.
It is also the story of a community that has become a pillar of philanthropy. It is a story of people who look forward, not to hold grudges, but to build stronger, more fair, and more united communities.
We see this resilience reflected in Native leaders across California and across the country. Colonel Nicole Aunapu Mann, a member of the Wailacki of the Round Valley Indian Tribes, became the first Native American woman in space. Judge Abby Abinanti, a Yurok Tribal member, became the first Native woman admitted to the California State Bar. Alice Piper, a Bishop Paiute Tribal member, was only 15 years old when she helped desegregate California classrooms in 1924, three decades before Brown v. Board of Education.
Today, Native Americans continue to serve in leadership roles across every sector, including in government. As the first and only Serrano and Cahuilla member of the California State Legislature, I carry that history with me. My work is not only about remembering what happened. It is about using public service to correct wrongs, protect families, and make sure Native people are seen, heard, and served.
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That work includes creating the Feather Alert, which can be activated when Indigenous people go missing. It includes securing funding to support California Indian Nations College, the only tribal college in the state. It also includes establishing California’s first Office of Suicide Prevention, which provides culturally informed resources and support for all communities.
The lesson is clear.
Freedom does not come free. It requires truth. It requires sacrifice. It requires the courage to acknowledge the past and the responsibility to build something better from it.
As we celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, we should honor the country we love by telling the whole story. When we acknowledge our shared history, see one another as equals, and move forward together, we can overcome with resilience.
That is the resilience of Native people. That is the promise of America at its best. And that is a story worthy of being told as we mark 250 years.
James Ramos represents California’s 45th Assembly District. He is chair of the Select Committee on Native American Affairs and a member of the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation.