MURAL WITH A MISSION SOCIAL JUSTICE ARTWORK HONORS DELEGATE

AMID THUNDEROUS applause, students pull a tarp off of the wall to reveal a vibrant mural of green, red and gold.

The mural, which hangs in front of Palo Alto High School’s math and social science building, was a project spearheaded by students in the campus’ Social Justice Pathway, a program in which students’ English and History classes are rooted in themes of social change and project-based learning. It depicts Kimberly Teehee, the Cherokee Nation’s appointed delegate to the United States House of Representatives.

The significance of the role to the Cherokee Nation dates back to 1835, when the United States government used the Treaty of New Echota to push Cherokee residents from their homeland in Georgia to a reservation in Oklahoma. Thousands died of disease and starvation along the way, which came to be known as the Trail of Tears.

As part of the treaty, the Cherokee Nation was guaranteed a delegate to represent it in the House of Representatives. However, no delegate was ever seated. For this reason, the Cherokee Nation has campaigned for a delegate since 2019 for a delegate to represent it in Congress.

“It [my seating] would send a huge mes- sage to everyone … that the United States honors its treaty rights,” Teehee said. “We [Native Americans] have too few champions as it is, and having another seat at the table only helps all of Indian country, not just the Cherokee Nation.”

Teehee has decades of experience advocating for Native American communities, notably as the first Senior Policy Advisor for Native American Affairs under former president Barack Obama. While the Democratic-controlled House Rules Committee held a hearing in 2022 in which members of Congress expressed interest in seating a delegate, the House has yet to call a simple-majority vote on whether she may be seated, four years after she was appointed.

For decades the Cherokee Nation has been stricken with generational poverty and climate change has hurt crop yields, as well as an ongoing opioid crisis. As a delegate, Teehee would be able to promote legislation addressing these issues and manage com- munications between the Cherokee Nation and the federal government, though she would be unable to vote on the final passage of legislation — similar to the roles of delegates from U.S. territories.

Teehee said that initially, she was surprised to hear that high school students in California were interested in her campaign.

“I was kind of in awe of students that would want to learn about our history … without any kind of expectation of getting credit [for school],” Teehee said. “They became passionate about something that benefits the Cherokee Nation, and I just found that really remarkable.”

Teehee said she believes that the mural and the media attention it will receive will the decisions of policymakers in Washington, D.C. In addition to the mural, members of Paly’s Social Justice Pathway designed and wrote postcards urging local congresspeople to fight for Teehee’s seating.

“California happens to be the home of some very important members of Congress.” Teehee said. “Having young people present their voice and attach it to this very important issue will resonate with the members of your own congressional districts, as well as across the country.” v

WHY NOT NOW? — volved in the mural’s creation chose to include the words “Why not now?” on the project due to their significance to Teehee’s campaign and the circumstances that led to her waiting years to be seated. “The treaty of New Echota happened 200 years ago, and we still haven’t seated a designee for the Cherokee Nation 200 years later,” senior art lead Kellyn Scheel said. “Why not now? Now’s as good a time as any to do it.”

Seven stars were used in the mural because of the number’s significance as a sacred number in Cherokee culture. Additionally, the iconography of stars served as inspiration for the mural’s title. “There is a disconnect between our understanding of other cultural and ethnic groups in our society,” Paly senior and project manager Megha Madhabhushi said. “We all live under the same moon. We all live under the same stars. We are all united. So we should be united through knowledge as well.”

POWERFUL PORTRAIT — The pop-art style of the portrait of Teehee is inspired by the art of the famous “Hope” poster of Barack Obama, designed by Shepard Fairey. “All of his [Fairey’s] designs have a lot of significance in the poses of the politicians or the people he paints,” Scheel said. “It also was a picture from when she spoke after being elected delegate designee, so it was right after she was chosen by the Cherokee Nation to represent them in their fight for a seat in Congress.”