Over 1,000 People Participating In Virtual Trail Of Tears Walk

Members of the Choctaw Nation and other tribes are walking to remember their ancestors who traveled the Trail of Tears.

The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma said 1200 people are walking a total of 620 miles over the course of three months in honor of their ancestors who were removed from their homes in the 1800s and forcibly moved to modern-day Oklahoma.

55% of those participating are Choctaw tribal members, while the rest constitute at least 29 other tribes.

Of those participating, Santana Milligan and her husband are two of them.

"There has not been one time that I didn't learn something new about the journey, or a new historical marker or milestone that comes up that I didn't know about before," Milligan said. "I'm very blessed to have my husband to this with me so we are required to have around 14,000 steps between the two of us."

Organizers said the participants involved come from 42 states, Germany and Canada, each walking in their own neighborhoods with their progress tracked on their smartphones.

The app used by those participating also teaches them more and more history as they make progress.

"At the end of the day this is to honor our ancestors and to honor the sacrifices they made for us," Milligan said. "I think about my grandparents, grandparents who walked to trail of tears and they were hungry, famished and they wanted to stop, and they were unable to."

Santana said some days it's difficult, but she remembers the sacrifice of her ancestors and continues onward.

"No matter how tired we get every day, we keep going," Milligan said. "Perseverance: that is in our blood. That is what gets me up and makes me go do this every day."

The virtual walk is at capacity for this year, but to learn more, click here.