I am a proud descendant of the Chickasaw, Cherokee, and Mexican Apache Nations. My family is Indigenous and has participated in urban Native culture for generations. I am not enrolled in a Native nation, primarily because of the record-keeping practices in Texas in the 1800s. However, I’m proud of my family’s history and our generations of Native and Black relatives.
Unfortunately, I was targeted with a number of false claims regarding my identity utilizing the slur pretendian, including inaccurate and misleading genealogies. I suspect these allegations were made due to my advocacy for women and victims of harassment and abuse, as well as my work to expose predators in the Native American writing world. I’ve devoted much of my life to this issue, and I remain committed to the cause of protecting Indigenous women and relatives from abuse, as well as promoting Native artists around the world.
Please do check out my recent interview with the BBC on this issue.