Monday Real Talk

The Stories We Were Not Fully Taught

Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, I’ve always felt a quiet presence of Indigenous culture and heritage. It’s here—in the land, the water, the place names—but not always in our everyday understanding.

We have reservations. We have Native-owned casinos. We have tourist experiences that offer a glimpse of culture and history. And yet, it often feels like the deeper story—the beginnings of this land—remains just out of reach.

I’ll be honest: I don’t know enough.

And maybe that’s part of the problem.

We live in a region closely connected to Alaska, a place that feels like a whole different world, yet shares deep Indigenous roots and histories that existed long before borders were drawn. Still, much of what we were taught in school was simplified, incomplete, or shaped to make the story easier to tell.

When we talk about our country’s truths, we often frame history as Black and White. But the building of this nation was far more complex.

Indigenous peoples were here first.

Chinese laborers built the railroads.

Black Americans were brought here and built wealth they were never allowed to keep.

Japanese families farmed land they were later forced to leave.

These stories matter too.

I am not an expert. I don’t have the answers. But I do know that honoring the founders of this land—those who lived here, worked here, and shaped this country before and beyond colonization—matters.

Understanding doesn’t start with certainty.

It starts with acknowledgment.

Maybe Real Talk isn’t about having the full story—it’s about being willing to admit that parts of it were never fully shared.