and thank you, guillermo. we love you. right now, at this defining moment in america. ♪ we gonna be all right >> with so much on the line, from abc news, my america, your america, our america. this is "turning point." tonight, the first americans calling for reparations. >> things were stolen. things were lied about. reparations is truly giving it back. it's giving it all back. >> fighting for tribal land. >> we're homeless in our own land. >> freedom, justice. >> america owes its people the truth. >> tonight, what america owes. here now, juju chang. >> good evening. thanks for joining us. tonight the calls for rascial

justice for native americans. their loss, staggering. their land, their culture. some tribes completely wiped out or written out of our history books. now the crimes against the ancestors of america's first people, can it be repaid? first, how we got here with abc's whoopi goldberg. >> we've all heard the stories of how america began with christopher columbus and the first thanksgiving. except that's not how american history actually started at all. more than 15,000 years before americans ever saw this land, native-american indigenous people were spread out to each corner of this continent. in 1513, juan ponce de leon made the first contact with native-americans setting off land skirmishes that would land hundreds of years. during the 1800s, president andrew jackson decided to expand his vision of an anglo-american

country, from sea to sea. a manifest destiny. jackson authorized u.s. troops to go on the attack. they force-marched natives out west in what we call t of tears. over 4,000 cherokee indians would die. congress restricted native-americans to reservations. but even those lands were invaded. and the attacks would continue, even after meitnative-americans citizenship. that's right, native-americans were given citizenship in their own land. after natives bravely fought in world war ii, the government finally decided to pay them back. most native-americans received somewhere between 100 dollars and $100,000 per person. some experts say that money has not been properly managed. so where does that leave nearly

1,000 tribes of natives now? >> there's a spirit in the air here. here at the far end of the trail of tears there was a promise. my great, great-grandmother walked towards that promise. building a new life on new land. growing up, i never thought of this as anything but home. but, as you grow older, you realize our connection to these trees and the grass out here, it was all so much bigger and more meaningful than we thought. it was ours.

i'm principal chief david, and this is muskogee creek reservation. ♪ >> my name is ty dafoe. i'm from the tribal nations. >> i'm karina gould. and we are the original people of this land. >> sometimes people don't stop to think that wherever you are in this country, you're on indigenous land. >> all the land that we are on now, all the land we call america, all the land that has allowed america to become this wealthy country that it is was stolen. >> i don't think there is a one size fits all for reparations for indian tribes in the u.s. they are all unique and

individual. ♪ >> some people call this columbus circle. i do not. oftentimes, when people come here, they don't understand what columbus has done to the native indigenous people. this statue represents murder. it represents rape. it needs to come ♪ it describes sense of being, and it also gives thanks to all living things, with gratitude and humbleness.

♪ it's a conversation you're having with the spirit ♪ i moved to new york city to be an artist. people are misinformed about what native people look like. how native people are supposed to look. there are native people on the subways. there are native people walking down the streets. >> climate justice, now! climate justice, now! >> columbus, a symbol of genocide, of the oppression of indigenous peoples. >> a symbol like that is saying "we don't believe you." >> it's time for us to say no

more! >> that is like big brother saying you do not >> our people have fought for generations, just to hang onto the land. there's going to be a people that are going to open their eyes and put pressure on the oppressors. of north america. >> with land being stolen, language being wiped away, there was a silencing that was occurring. and it almost is strategic genocide. but what i think is important now is that our voices are heard. the point right now

where people are in the streets, asking for the truth of history to be told. right now we're inma looks like a parking lot to every day people. this is the west berkley shell mound, and shell mounds for our people were burial sites, they were there's lots of different sites, even just in oakland that are o

♪ ♪ >> folks like us, we don't have a land base, so we're homeless in our own lands. in our own territories. >> the united states government recognizes 574 indian tribes. only 300 have reservations, have land base. ♪ >> the trust gives us a way to take care of land and to reengage it in a sovereign kind of way, so that we can have ceremonial places, so that we can bring culture and song and dance back. i want my children and my grandchildren and my great grandchildren, the seven generations after them, to have what's needed on this land that has sustained us for thousands of years.

>> breaking moments ago. >> key ruling from the supreme court today. a victory for native americans. >> i was shocked. i'm still shocked that that actually happened. >> finally, when it seemed impossible, a promise had been kept to our people. >> there are some folks who might think that treaties between our people and the united states expired. they never expire. >> i still get goosebumps, just thinking about that day. because that was the day we got to celebrate. >> just the one case today. >> are you ready to head over? >> okay, so since the supreme court ruling has come down, we are receiving numerous new cases. another one from tulsa

county. this one is from muskogee. so we're getting them from all over. >> i've often said that the series of indian treaties is like a folding napkin. this is your homeland now, but then a few years later the napkin gets folded, and the u.s. comes to the tribes and says, you know what? you don't really need all that land. and it goes on and on until there is such little left. but what happened with the supreme court in the mcgirk case is that the promisedohe tribe is now fwarn guaranteed again. >> so this is currently what is

the reservation as upheld by the supreme court. however, that said, our history is very similar to the cherokee nation, to the choctaw nation, to the chickasaw nation and seminole nation. it's not correct when dthey say half of oklahoma is indian territory. it's not. your jurisdiction stops with native-americans on the reservation. >> it hasn't really hit me yet. what's happened this year is part of history. ♪ living iwoah woma

is land of cowboys and indians. this is the birthplace of the creek government, when it first started. our constitution, article xvii raised all treaties shall be the supreme law of the land. and i'm hoping that the supreme court made their decision, this hopefully was based on this. people who doesn't realize that we are here, we are a nation. i am muskogee creek by blood and grew up in oklahoma. >> the picture down there, there's me. i was but 3 years old, i guess. lot of indians and kids, they were dying. >> that's our great, great-grandmother that was on

the trail of tears. >> blisters and blisters from where they'd been walking. and they was bad, but they made it, walking. >> that's me up there. >> when i'm here by myself, i look around and see those pictures and it means a lot to me. but -- >> we have to protect what we fought so hard to keep. rapid wrinkle repair®. we've got the retinol that gives you results in one week. not just any retinol. accelerated retinol sa. for not only smoother skin in one day, but younger-looking skin in just one week. and that's clinically proven. results that fast or your money back.

one week is all it takes. neutrogena®. there's my career, my cause, my choir. i'm a work in progre.eswha. hiv medicine is one part of it. prescription dovato is for adults who are starting hiv-1 treatment and who aren't resistant to either of the medicines dolutegravir or lamivudine. dovato has 2 medicines in 1 pill to help you reach and then stay undetectable. so your hiv can be controlled with fewer medicines while taking dovato. don't take dovato if you're allergic to any of its ingredients or if you take dofetilide. if you have hepatitis b, it can change during treatment with dovato

and become harder to treat. your hepatitis b may get worse or become life-threatening if you stop taking dovato. so do not stop dovato without talking to your doctor. serious side effects can occur, including allergic reactions, liver problems, and liver failure. life-threatening side effects include lactic acid buildup and severe liver problems. if you have a rash and other symptoms of an allergic reaction, stop taking dovato and get medical help right away. tell your doctor if you have kidney or liver problems, including hepatitis b or c. one of the ingredients in dovato may harm your unborn baby. your doctor may prescribe a different medicine than dovato. your doctor should do a pregnancy test before starting dovato. use effective birth control while taking dovato. the most common side effects are headache, diarrhea, nausea, trouble sleeping, and tiredness. so much goes into who i am and hope to be. ask your doctor if starting hiv treatment with dovato is right for you. if you're having difficulty paying for your medications, we may be able to help. try nature's bounty hair, skin and nails gummies.

the number one brand to support beautiful hair, glowing skin, and healthy nails. and try advanced, now with two times more biotin.

♪ here's the very model ♪ ♪ of a modern daily family meal ♪ ♪ when food ideas are scarce ♪ and everything becomes a big ordeal ♪ ♪ you want something nutritious ♪ ♪ that your family will devour ♪ but add one thing that's healthy... ugh ♪ ♪ the taste will overpower so... ♪ ♪ only lightlife can return the balance ♪ ♪ to your every dish ♪ our food is always made of plants ♪ ♪ and it is totally delish ♪ 'cause nobody's ingredients ♪ ♪ are quite as simple clean or real ♪ ♪ lightlife is the model ♪ of a modern daily family meal ♪ lightlife. try a clean plant-based burger for a change.

lightlife. ♪ if i could, baby i'd ♪ how can i, when you won't take it from me ♪ ♪ you can go your own way ♪ ♪ go your own way your wireless. your rules. only with xfinity mobile. ♪ i got it all from you ♪ i'm always pushing through ♪ i know we'll make it to the finish line ♪ ♪ i know you're waiting on the other side ♪ ♪ i'm like you on-demand glucose monitoring. because they're always on. another life-changing technology from abbott. so you don't wait for life. you live it. when you think of a bank, you think of people in a place. but when you have the chase mobile app, your bank can be virtually any place.

so, when you get a check... you can deposit it from here. and you can see your transactions and check your balance from here. you can detect suspicious activity on your account from here. and you can pay your friends back from here. so when someone asks you, "where's your bank?" you can tell them: here's my bank. or here's my bank. or, here's my bank. because if you download and use the chase mobile app, your bank is virtually any place. so visit chase.com/mobile. ♪ i use art as a it causes people to wake up and pay attention. art gives me a way that i could

build the world that i want to live ♪ the first step in reparations, i think, is definitely the recognition that things were stolen. things were lied about. just even that acknowledgement is merely scratching the surface. reparations is truly giving it back. it's giving it all >> america owes its people more so than me. it owes its people the truth, as it actually is. because all of the history that you're being told in the public schools, it's all lopsided into their favor. >> i feel that justice will be

had when my grandchildren don't have to tell these stories. when they have the ability to be themselves in their own homeland. that's what justice looks like. >> for my future grandkids and future generations, i'm hoping that the struggles that we're bearing now, that they don't have to, everything will be set in stone. that is my goal. >> america will not heal until we are all at the table, until the story of how america came to be is out in the open, with all of our stories. it has to begin there.

♪ remember the earth whose skin you are, red earth, black earth, yellow earth, brown earth, white earth, we are earth. remember the plants, trees, and animal life who all have their tribes and histories too. remember that you were all people, and all people are you. remember that you are this universe and this universe is you. remember, remember.

dcoughing's not new.. this woman coughs... and that guy does, too. people cough in the country, at sea, and downtown. but don't worry, julie... robitussin shuts coughs down. to save time and stay ahead of the messn dishes as you cook, but scrubbing still takes time. now there's dawn powerwash dish spray. the faster, easier way to clean as you go. it cleans grease five times faster on easy messes, just spray, wipe, and rinse. on tough messes, the spray-activated suds cut through grease on contact, without water. just wipe, and rinse. get dishes done faster dawn powerwash dish spray. spray. wipe. rinse. hey allergy muddlers... achoo! ...do your sneezes turn heads? try zyrtec... ...it starts working hard at hour one... and works twice as hard when you take it again the next day. zyrtec muddle no more.

((cat 2) flook at that!! (cat 1) it's made with real farm-raised chicken! (cat 2) i gotta get my paws on that! (cat 1) it's friskies farm favorites! (cat 2) the winning farm-ula. (woman vo) feed their fantasy. ♪ friskies (cat 1) look! friskies ocean favorites! yum!

is committed to helping kids continue to learn-no matter where they are. we're providing affordable internet access to low-income families through our internet essentials program. it's why we're working 24/7 to keep our network fast, reliable and secure. and helping college students study and stay connected

thromili stay coersity pgr.wee l learn more at xfinity.com/education.

the "nightline," month-long event late night on nbc. ♪ you can find our turning point episodes, our month-long series on hulu.