Palo Alto High School unveils mural honoring Cherokee tribal leader Kimberly Teehee

PALO ALTO — Cherokee tribal leader Kimberly Teehee is a long way from her home in Oklahoma. But her image is now on a mural at Palo Alto High School where she found allies in her struggle to make the United States honor a nearly 200-year-old treaty – a treaty that would seat Teehee as the Cherokee Nation’s first-ever delegate to Congress.

“A lot of the tribal histories across the country and the treatment of tribes is a history that is not often shared in a curriculum. So, when these students took an interest and took on the project and made it into something I couldn’t imagine, I was so impressed,” Teehee said.

The unusual alliance began when students learned in a U.S. history class about the 1835 Treaty of New Echota, which forced the relocation of the Cherokee from their homelands in the southeast, to Indian Territory in Oklahoma.

The removal led to the Trail of Tears, in which thousands died of disease and starvation along the way.

But the students also learned that there was an agreement in the treaty that guaranteed the Cherokee a delegate to Congress.
The fact that the U.S. never held up its end of the deal shocked the social justice-minded students.

“Just learning that there was a right that the Cherokee had for getting a delegate seated in the House of Representatives, and here we are two hundred years later that right has not been acted upon,” said Megha Madhabhushi, a student leader.

The students also learned that Teehee – a Cherokee and a lawyer who served in President Barack Obama’s administration – was chosen by the tribe in 2019 to be their delegate.

All that remained was to get Congress to act and finally seat her.

“It would give some small measure of justice for those who lost their lives on the Trail of Tears during that forced removal,” Teehee said.

The students contacted Teehee and began a campaign to support her efforts. They stayed after school and met on weekends to create the mural and consulted with Teehee and other members of the tribe to keep it culturally relevant.

“I’m incredibly happy with the way it came out,” said Kellyn Scheel, the lead painter. “Art is a big part of my life and I love social justice because I’m able to use it to facilitate some sort of social change.”

The students have also organized a mail-in campaign asking local members of Congress to push for action.

If that happens, Teehee won’t be a voting member of Congress, but as a delegate, she will be able to sit and vote in committees and be allowed to speak on the House floor for her people.

“We’re passionate about this issue, but we’re also a persistent and patient people. We’ll continue this journey until we finish it,” Teehee said.

The students hope their efforts will help spur Congress into action. Although the proposal to seat Teehee as a delegate has some bipartisan support, the idea is still under congressional review.