In Episode 94 of "Red Hoop Talk," host Jennifer Robin sits down with Michael Ramirez (Konkow Maidu, Hupa/Yurok, Wintun), a Native educator and passionate activist, to unpack California’s dark colonial legacy. Michael leads listeners through a deep and powerful reflection on the formation of the state of California—what he calls ground zero for many of the United States’ most brutal policies against Native Peoples.
From a firsthand perspective, Michael reveals the government’s calculated efforts to erase California Indians from the land, including the “hidden treaties” that were never ratified by Congress and the openly genocidal campaigns funded by the state. His account is more than historical—it’s personal. As a child, Michael was taken on a school tour of Sutter’s Fort, where he saw a sign above a cannon that read “INDIAN KILLER.” That moment, seared into his memory, underscores the painful irony of being a descendant of survivors forced to celebrate the very people who tried to destroy them.
Throughout the conversation, Michael connects this violent past to the ongoing fight for justice and visibility for Native Peoples across Turtle Island. He invokes the work of Vine Deloria Jr.—citing Tribes, Treaties, and Constitutional Tribulations and Behind the Trail of Broken Treaties—to ground today’s advocacy in generations of Native resistance. His activism remains rooted in truth-telling, whether he's educating others, engaging in community organizing, or simply holding space for difficult truths that many would rather ignore.
Listeners can follow Michael’s work and reflections at facebook.com/mike.ramirez.198668. Each episode of "Red Hoop Talk" is a reminder that Native history is not just in the past—it’s alive, urgent, and deserving of action. Support the voices, stories, and sovereignty of Native Peoples by giving to the Association on American Indian Affairs today.
