Wilma Mankiller
The First Woman Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation
Cherokee Nation first, always.
I was born Mankiller for a reason — my family's grit, the land's memory, the fire to make things right. I didn't come up through politics; I came up through dirt roads, dry wells, and people who needed water, schools, a voice. San Francisco showed me what it meant to be displaced. Oklahoma taught me what it meant to come home. I rolled up my sleeves, got my hands dirty, and led with heart. That's all I ever did.
What I'm Into: Bell waterline, community centers, elders' stories, Cherokee resilience, my daughters' futures
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