I think that the best way to represent myself is to tell you where I come from. The best way to do that, in my opinion, is through a poem:
I come from a race not easily forgotten
Like my tribes’ sovereignty not easily gotten
I come from a people that are not easily kept down
I come from heads held high, and eyes held even stronger
Our hopes for a better future hold on a little longer
I come from welfare checks and rez-cars
from fireflies kept in old rusty jars
come from counting change
I come from a closet full of hand-me-downs and dirty tennis shoes
from the pounding of the drum playing as our muse
I come from a past of deals and treaties
They’re broken promises resulting in Alcoholism and Diabetes
I come from a past of warriors and legends
I come from serving elders first
Our customs and cultures not easily reimbursed
I am Native. We are Native. Who are you?
Starr GreenSky
Anishinabe and Lakota, age 14
Poem