“For so long people didn’t know his story or the Ponca story — our own Trail of Tears.”

Chairwoman of the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska Candace Schmidt, regarding the unveiling of a U.S. Postal Service stamp that features the portrait of Chief Standing Bear, who was forced, along with about 700 other members of the Ponca tribe, by the Army to leave his homeland in northeast Nebraska and walk 600 miles to the Indian Territory in Oklahoma. Chief Standing Bear and others tried to return to their homelands and the chief was arrested, prompting him to file a lawsuit that led to a ruling in 1870 that ordered his release and found that a Native American is a person with a right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. USPS has printed 18 million of the stamps. (Associated Press — May 12, 2023)