The National Indian Health Board (NIHB) condemns the genocidal and hateful statement made by Ann Coulter: “We didn’t kill enough Indians.” This is not free speech, it is hate speech. And its consequences extend far beyond the digital space.
This kind of language is not a joke. It is violence—violence that echoes through generations, reopens wounds, and contributes to the devastating rates of depression, suicide, and trauma that too many of our Native youth are forced to carry. Words like these are not abstract; they directly impact how young Native people see themselves, their safety, and their worth in a country that has already tried to erase them.
Our communities are still healing from government-sanctioned boarding schools that attempted to strip Native children of their language, culture, and identity. These systems created lasting intergenerational trauma—trauma that Native families continue to confront and work through today. Reckoning with this truth is part of the healing process.
“Our children hear these words. They internalize them. And far too often, they are left to wonder if their lives matter in the eyes of this country,” said NIHB Chairman William “Chief Bill” Smith, Valdez Native and Alaska Area Representative. “When prominent voices glorify genocide, it sends a dangerous message—that Native people are less than human. That message threatens the mental health, identity, and future of Native youth everywhere.”
NIHB joins with Tribal Nations and Native organizations across the country in calling for a full retraction, public apology, and immediate accountability from all levels of leadership and media. We further urge social media platforms like X to enforce community standards and ban voices that incite racial hatred and violence.
From suicide prevention to cultural revitalization, NIHB and its partners work every day to help Native youth heal from historical and contemporary trauma. But we cannot do this work alone. We need a country that respects our children enough to condemn hate without hesitation.
Native Nations contributed to the earliest forms of American democracy and continue to lead in public health, medicine, and community care. These truths must be honored.
There is no health without respect. There is no healing without truth. And there is no excuse for celebrating genocide.
