Native Bidaské takes on a story that refuses to stay buried—one that challenges how Indian Country understands its past and present.
In this episode, airing Friday, March 27 at 12 PM ET, host Levi Rickert is joined by journalists Suzette Brewer (Cherokee) and Elyse Wild to examine the forced sterilization of Native women, a rarely discussed practice that impacted thousands and continues to shape Native communities today.
Between 1907 and the late 20th century, tens of thousands of Native women were sterilized, often without informed consent. What may seem like history quickly reveals itself as something more urgent: a truth that still echoes in mistrust, health disparities, and unanswered questions.
This episode goes beyond what happened—it asks why it happened, and why so many people still don’t know.
After nearly a decade of reporting, Brewer’s investigation reveals a system fueled by federal policy, enabled by medical institutions, and tied to funding structures that incentivized sterilization under the guise of “family planning.”
Wild brings the story into the present, connecting past abuses to ongoing realities in Indian Country—from maternal health disparities to the deep mistrust many Native people still feel toward healthcare systems like IHS. For many survivors, even finding the language to describe what happened has been a challenge.
Until now.
This is not about revisiting trauma for its own sake—it’s about putting the truth on record.
Because this isn’t just history—it’s context.
This is more than a conversation; it’s a reckoning.
Watch the full episode of Native Bidaské airing March 27th at 12 PM ET on Facebook, YouTube, and NativeNewsOnline.net.
Watch past Native Bidaské episodes here.
