From the Nominator

In the shadows of one of the world’s largest casinos, run by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, and deep in the Connecticut woods, is a 225-acre reservation that has been continuously inhabited by members the Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation since 1683. There is no casino here, no community center, no enclosed community building at all. About 16 families still live on this sparse and sacred land, clinging to the hope that they might one day have their federal recognition—won briefly in 2002—restored. The story of the Eastern Pequots is one of remarkable resilience, and one that highlights extraordinary inequity and injustice. It’s a story members of the tribe want told, and one that CC Magazine was honored to have the opportunity to share.

From the Judges

One of the most gorgeous pieces of writing we have ever encountered in academic writing, this feature reads like a transcript for This American Life. The subject is timely, providing both historical narrative and reckoning with injustice, but with healing and hope. This is the kind of central feature every magazine should strive to have.