The 16th Remember the Removal team completed its nearly month-long journey on June 21, 2024, as the team rode into Tahlequah, OK, the capital of Cherokee Nation. The annual endeavor is meant to honor the Cherokee people who survived and perished nearly 200 years ago when 16,000 Cherokees were forcibly removed from their southeastern homelands in Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, and North Carolina. A quarter of the population was lost to injuries, extreme weather, starvation, murder, and diseases.
The bike ride, partially sponsored by the Adventure Cycling Association, is also meant to instill leadership qualities in the youth who take part. The Remember the Removal ride began in 1984 as a youth leadership program to prepare youth for future challenges while teaching them Cherokee history and culture. After that initial ride in 1984, the event returned in 2009 and has been taking place since except for 2020 due to COVID-19 limitations.
“It’s been a lot of hard work, but it’s been a really great experience. I’m really excited to do this bike ride, and I’m grateful to have this opportunity,” RTR cyclist Hannah Neugin, 19, of Lost City, Oklahoma, said before beginning the ride. “My teammates and I have had a lot of time to get to know one another, and we’ve all developed great bonds with one another. A lot of hard work goes into this bike ride that a lot of people don’t get to see. We spend a lot of time doing weekly trainings. A lot of people don’t understand the time commitment that goes into this.”
After a send-off ceremony on May 28, the team traveled to Cherokee, North Carolina, where they joined seven teammates from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and briefly trained with them before leaving for Georgia. On June 3, 2024, the ride began from New Echota, Georgia, the former capital of the Cherokee Nation.
Jaslyn Christie, 19, of Fort Gibson, Oklahoma, said training for the ride from December to May “was not easy.”
“The training was difficult for me. Even growing up in sports I feel like this is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, but I will say I have created a lot of bonds (with teammates),” she said. “It’s been a learning experience, and I’m so grateful to be here.”
Christie added she believes Cherokee history is not taught enough in schools, and she wishes she had the opportunity to learn about her people’s history.
“But that’s what I want to learn from this, and afterwards I want to be an advocate and teach people about what happened and teach people about all of the stuff I went through and the stuff that I learned,” she said.
Dr. Michael Morris served as the Cherokee Nation’s Education Director in 1984 and organized the first ride. He said he had decided young Cherokee people needed a more intensive summer program. Along with co-worker, Mose Killer, he came up with a plan to have a commemorative re-tracing of the Trail of Tears.
“I know of no way we can teach history better than by direct experience. They’re going to see the terrain and feel the toughness of those hills,” Morris said in 1984 before the trip.
Angelina Jumper, 2024 cyclist, of the Snowbird Community in North Carolina said she knows her Cherokee ancestors were with her on this 950-mile journey.
“I knew there was going to be a lot of history, and I knew there was going to be a lot of physical and mental challenges we were going to have to overcome as a team, but I think the one thing I didn’t expect out of this ride, that I felt, is that our ancestors were with us every step of the way,” she said. “You have all these places that you stop and you feel them, and as you leave you can feel them walking out with you. I think that has been the most life-changing thing for me on this ride. I didn’t think I would be able to feel that like I have been. It’s been beautiful to be able to pay our respects to our people.”
2024 Remember the Removal Ride Demographic Breakdown:
Ages: 18-50
Gender: 9 women and 8 men
Ethnicity: Native American/Cherokee
Skill Level: 16 participants were amateur cyclists, who had little to no experience riding a geared bicycle. One cyclist, a female, had extensive cycling experience and has ridden with teams and in races for numerous years. Her experience benefitted the entire team. Outdoor Experience: About half the team had outdoor experience with hiking, rafting, kayaking and some cycling.
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