On Indigenous Peoples Day, the official Alamo social media account shared a respectful message recognizing Native communities and their 13,000-year presence on the land where the Alamo now stands. But hours later, Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham demanded it be deleted—calling the post “woke” and declaring that “woke has no place at the Alamo.”

This wasn’t just a deleted tweet. It was a public rejection of Indigenous history and the years of advocacy behind efforts to tell a more accurate and inclusive story at Texas’s most iconic site.

Ramon J. Vasquez, a member of the Alamo Citizens Advisory Committee and director of American Indians in Texas at the Spanish Colonial Missions, has spent nearly a decade working to ensure Native voices are part of the Alamo’s future. He helped plan the upcoming Indigenous Peoples Gallery at the Alamo Visitor Center, set to open in 2027. He called the deletion part of a long pattern: “To erase people’s history from a physical location is cultural genocide.”

Let’s be clear: the story of Texas didn’t begin at the Battle of the Alamo. Indigenous people lived, thrived, and resisted here for over 13,000 years. Telling that truth isn’t political—it’s responsible, respectful, and long overdue.

But instead of celebrating that truth, state leaders are mocking it—labeling it “woke” and silencing it. This isn’t just wrong; it’s dangerous. When the government treats Native history as a threat, it reinforces centuries of erasure and violence.

We demand that Commissioner Buckingham publicly apologize for calling Indigenous history “woke,” and stop interfering with efforts to recognize Native contributions across Texas historic sites. Texans deserve a full, honest history—and Indigenous people deserve respect, not ridicule.

Add your name if you believe our history should be truthful, not politicized.

[Photo Credit: Scott Ball / San Antonio Report]