While 2020 provided an abundance of obstacles for our Tribe – a pandemic, constant assault from the Trump Administration, and the removal of Tribal Council Chairman – 2021 is shaping up to be a polar opposite year with an abundance of opportunity for growth and stability of our sovereign rights.

Last month, we took the extraordinary step of announcing our support for an American president for the first time in our Tribe’s history. We decided to support President-Elect Joe Biden because of his longstanding belief that our rich history should be celebrated, our land protected, and our sovereignty—and the sovereignty of all tribal nations—be safeguarded from the abuse of discretion demonstrated by the Secretary of the Interior.

When President-Elect Joe Biden and Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris take office less than two months from now, we will move one step closer to securing our land base for future generations to come so that the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe and its citizens can thrive.

We have endured four years of a hostile Trump administration that culminated this year with a cruel attempt to take our land out of trust that was shot down in the DC court. We stood tall in the face of historic injustice that was met, rightfully, with shock, anger and profound sadness. We rallied over 100,000 people to sign a petition and take action on our behalf.

But just as the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe has done for centuries, we do not dwell on injustices, we fight, we persevere, and we are driven by a sense of hopefulness that endures even the most critical threats to our sovereignty and our future. Fortunately, our future is brighter today than it was yesterday, and it will be brighter tomorrow than it was today. Mashpee will shine tonight.