The 2024 Remember the Removal riders cycle in rain as they travel through rural Kentucky. Applications for the 2025 Remember the Removal Bike Ride are now available online and must be submitted by Monday, Sept. 30. TAHLEQUAH – The Cherokee Nation is accepting applications for the 2025 Remember the Removal Bike Ride, which retraces the northern route of the Trail of Tears over a span of three weeks. The deadline to apply is Monday, Sept. 30.
Cherokee Nation citizens between the ages of 16 and 24 who are ultimately chosen for the program will ride approximately 950 miles in June, crossing through seven states as a testament to their physical and mental endurance. Riders retrace the same path their ancestors were forced to walk more than 180 years ago.
Applications are available online at https://rtr.cherokee.org and require applicants to answer essay questions, provide references, and more. Applicants must be available for an interview once the application deadline has passed.
The Remember the Removal Bike Ride was created in 1984 as a youth leadership program. After a hiatus, the program was restarted in 2009. The Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians also joins the Cherokee Nation on the journey that begins in New Echota, Georgia, and ends in Tahlequah, the capital of the Cherokee Nation.
To qualify, applicants must meet the following criteria:
• Be a Cherokee Nation citizen
• Must not have previously participated in the bike ride• Be age 16-24 by January 1, 2025• Be able to pass a sports physical during orientation pre-training […]
Continue reading the original article at: www.cherokeephoenix.org