Indigenous women kept from seeing
their newborn babies until agreeing to sterilization, says lawyer
https://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/the-current-for-november-13-2018-1.4902679/indigenous-women-kept-from-seeing-their-newborn-babies-until-agreeing-to-sterilization-says-lawyer-1.4902693?fbclid=IwAR04ZVvBJpbEZdK-hBrqmSBMrT1mUTWwDv2wVbbCUdAXeGH7-jH7B3DM1Is
Sterilizations
happened as recently as 2017, Saskatchewan lawsuit alleges
Cherokee citizenship determined by
Dawes Rolls, not DNA
https://www.tahlequahdailypress.com/news/local_news/cherokee-citizenship-determined-by-dawes-rolls-not-dna/article_4a41fca2-3b65-5413-837c-9fcdf99efa7a.html?fbclid=IwAR2ZfHutuW4sTgYSLGWn_SM0xF7xUM0htLLgeRzfZw_QzUW_msxsptwrjsI
Cherokee
Nation citizenship is a legal determination based on a person's ability to
trace his or her ancestry back to the Dawes Rolls. These lists were created by
the U.S. Dawes Commission when the Five Civilized Tribes - Cherokee, Chickasaw,
Choctaw, Muscogee Creek and Seminole - were forced to agree to a land allotment
plan. For those who would like to become citizen of the Cherokee Nation,
finding an ancestor on the Dawes Rolls is the only way.
"If a
mom and dad are already enrolled and they're just enrolling their children, all
of the legwork has been done, and we don't have to go very far," said
Derrick Vann, interim tribal registrar. "The paperwork has already been
done, the child has their birth certificate, so stamp it and go on to the next
one - that one's already complete."A treaty between the U.S. and Cherokee
Nation in 1866 stated that all African-American slaves who were taken as
property by the tribe would become citizens. But in 2007, the tribe held a
special election, and citizens voted to exclude the Cherokee Freedmen
descendants from citizenship unless they met the "Cherokee by blood"
requirement.
In August
2017, a U.S. District Court judge ruled that descendants of the Cherokee
Freedmen do have the right to tribal citizenship. However, because generations
of Freedmen descendants never applied to for Cherokee Nation membership, it
takes more paperwork to prove their claims.
Thursday,
CN Secretary of State Chuck Hoskin Jr. said people should understand the
existence of the Cherokee Nation is a result of "our people enduring the
Trail of Tears, and rebuilding a society, and rebuilding a government in what
is now northeast Oklahoma." "It's more than simply having a DNA test
that indicates you may have North or South American Native blood," said
Hoskin. "It is about your connection to a people that have had a
continuous presence on the continent as an identifiable tribe in a continuous
government to government relationship with the U.S. Those things are important,
so it's way beyond simply family lore or having some DNA test."
Indigenous Feminism: Healing the
World of Patriarchy and White Supremacy
Changing
Women Initiative: “We are focused on developing a culturally centered
reproductive wellness and birth center. By creating a physical space for education
and healing for Native American women, we will reclaim cultural identities
through birth and motherhood that has been shaped through our cultures”
Indigenous
Goddess Gang: Colonial tactics like divide and conquer and patriarchy have
impacted women by pitting us against one another. There is a narrative that is
fed to women that we must compete with each other for everything; a man’s love,
for validation, in beauty, in success, and this is normalized to nausium by the
media. This way of thinking is based on a patriarchal belief that women aren’t
enough or that we are somehow lesser than. Patriarchy also works to have women
believe that we belong in certain roles, that we must obey and so on. In Indian
country, through colonization some of our matrilineal societies have been
turned into patriarchal societies, and these patterns and behaviors play out
and destory families and relationships. To challenge this entire system, the
Indigenous Goddess Gang has formed a collective of femme Indigenous artists, writers,
thought leaders, designers, and activists to not just lift up the voices and
the incredible work of Indigneous femmes and queer folks, but also to
revitalize and build sisterhood as a form of resistance to patriarchy.
Native
Women Lead: As I mentioned Indigenous or tribal communities are not void of
patriarchy. In fact, native women experience a unique challenge when it comes
to patriarchy because there is often cultural or traditional beliefs that
surround these dynamics between men and women, so it becomes extremely
sensitive for us to assert our power as women. Outside of our communities,
native women experience a drastic gap when it comes to equal pay. September
27th marks #NativeWomensEqualPay Day and what this day represents is that on
average Native women are paid 57% of what white men are paid. To transform this
status quo and to empower women to be leaders, not only in our communities but
also in the business sector, the project Native Women Lead has been founded by
a group of native women business owners and social entrepreneurs.
Did Colonists Give Infected Blankets
to Native Americans as Biological Warfare?
North
American colonists’ warfare against Native Americans often was horrifyingly
brutal. But one method they appear to have used shocks even more than all the
bloody slaughter: The gifting of blankets and linens contaminated with
smallpox. The virus causes a disease that can inflict disfiguring scars,
blindness and death. The tactic constitutes a crude form of biological
warfare—but accounts of the colonists using it are actually few.
Repatriation Comic (How to explain
NAGPRA to students)
Dina
Gilio-Whitaker Posted on Facebook 11/12/18
A bit of a
long post here, on the topic of changing historical narratives in K-12
education. I have been engaged in a project I was invited into a year and a
half ago. ICivics is an educational non-profit founded by Justice Sandra Day
O’Connor that creates online games for kids to supplement US civics education.
Their newest game is called the Ratification Game, which as its name implies is
about the ratification of the constitution. The project directors wrote an NEH
grant to fund the creation of the game.
I was asked
to participate for my expertise in Native studies; not that I'm an expert in
Native history of that era, but since they asked I said yes. They got the
grant, and we have been in the design stages for months now, which includes
designing topics, characters, dialogues, stuff like that. I have spent months
boning up on Native history during that time period, including a thorough
understanding of the "Iroquois influence theory." Those familiar with
it know it is quite controversial.
The game
designers made sure to include a diverse group of characters, including women,
Blacks, and NA's. It was good that they wanted to include Native perspectives,
even though Natives weren't technically part of the US at the time. We actually
decided to create two Native characters--actual historical Native
people--representative of both southern and Northern Native groups, since the
experiences of those groups were so diverse. One of the characters is Molly
Brant, whose perspective as a Mohawk woman is very telling. The other character
is Alexander MacGillivary, the Creek warrior and political leader.
Anyway, in
this process, perhaps inevitably I've collided with the usual triumphalist,
exceptionalist rhetoric so characteristic of K-12 US historiography. Some of
the rhetoric includes pro-constitutional "insights" that "A
stronger unified nation would be more successful at engaging (and pacifying)
the native tribes throughout the nation" and "A strong and unified
government with a national military could be used against all
threats- foreign or domestic."
threats- foreign or domestic."
Obviously
there are huge problems with this kind of language. So I had to break it down
for them:
"One
of the biggest sins of conventional American history-telling, especially at the
K-12 levels, is the sanitizing of US violence against Indian nations in order
to present a more palatable story, in the interest of building a sense of
patriotism and civic pride. Simply including Indians in the story of
constitutional ratification is not enough to balance this out this kind of
historiography. In this game, we have an opportunity to do a better job at
presenting a more fair and accurate portrayal of the way the US in actuality
handled its Indian relations. Remember, it was Indians whose lands were
invaded. They didn't ask for Europeans to come to their lands and live with
them. It was they who were defending themselves against relentless encroachment
into their territories, sparking unwanted violence on both sides, especially as
MacGillivary's perspective demonstrates, and Molly Brant's revelation that her
people were pushed out of their homelands. Yet the conventional histories are
typically written with terms reflecting the justification of American
imperialism such as the US's need to "pacify" the Indians; Indians
are the prime "domestic or foreign threats" to the republic of the
moment.
'A stronger
unified nation would be more successful at engaging (and pacifying) the native
tribes throughout the nation' really means the ability to 'be more successful
at dispossessing Indians of all their land throughout the continent by any
means necessary,' and it was no secret in this particular era that continental
domination was the endgame. Let's not sugar-coat that. There is nothing
honorable about it, especially within a conversation whose core tenets are
supposedly democracy, liberty, and 'all men being created equal.' The phrase
'foreign or domestic threats' really translates, on one level, to 'Indian
tribes are impediments to US expansion (i.e. imperialism)'. Let's be honest
about it.
I think we
should not back down from language that reflects a different but more accurate
narrative, about violent, imperialistic US aggression, as the conversations
with Brant and MacGillivary imply. I don't doubt the possibility this will
raise conflict with many of the people on your team, but I do want to be heard
on this. I am deeply uncomfortable with the phrase "A strong and unified
government with a national military could be used against all threats- foreign
or domestic." This ignores the fact that in reality, the US was a far
bigger threat to the Indigenous populations."
We'll see
how this plays out. I've had moments of wondering "why oh why did I agree
to this project?" But in the long run I suppose it is about the
possibility to help shift educational narratives and de-sanitize them.
I am a
strong Métis womxn. If there ever comes a time when I disappear and I go for
groceries and don’t return, or when I go to raise my fist in solidarity and
don’t return... please know: I would never voluntarily leave my sons, my
companion, my family. I would not be out partying or doing drugs. I would not
die by suicide. I am an activist and therefore more likely to suffer violence
at the hands of the Police State. I am more likely to be targeted by racists
and/or Industrial interests who favor the status quo. They will continue to try
to silence me. If I ever DO NOT return home...know that someone took me against
my will. Don’t make excuses as to WHY I might have not returned home, because
it is a lie. Look for me. Please.
Being a Native womxn, there’s a target on my back. I feel it! Far too many of our Native womxn are disappearing. 💔 #whoismissing
#nomorestolensisters #nomoremurderedmothers
*Edited*
*Copy & Paste*
Being a Native womxn, there’s a target on my back. I feel it! Far too many of our Native womxn are disappearing. 💔 #whoismissing
#nomorestolensisters #nomoremurderedmothers
*Edited*
*Copy & Paste*
Dear
White People: Here’s how to be a REAL ally instead of just playing one on
social media
1. LISTEN when marginalized people are talking
2. Don’t dismiss lived experiences that are unfamiliar to
you
3. Stop taking attacks on white supremacy personal
4. Acknowledge your own internal biases so you can
dismantle them
5. Speak up when other white people act like donkeys
10
things every white teacher should know when talking about race
1. Racism is not necessarily about holding hate in your
heart toward other people or consciously believing you are superior because
you’re white.
2. There is no such thing as reverse racism.
3. There are different rules for white people and people
of color when talking about race.
4. It is not racist (nor is it “creating division”) for
people of color to talk about how they experience the world differently than
white people. Colorblindness is not a thing to aspire to.
5. If you have been told that it IS racist to see or talk
about color, that was probably in a situation where you were pointing out race
in a completely irrelevant context.
6. Use descriptors of race that are both inclusive and
empowering.
7. Develop a listen-first ethic when a conversation turns
to race, rather than insisting that race is irrelevant.
8. You can prevent knee-jerk defensiveness by actively
working to de-center your experiences as a white person in conversations about
race.
9. When someone hits a sore spot and you realize you’ve
said, done, or felt something that you didn’t realize could be insensitive,
avoid rationalizing your actions.
10. The solution is not to “stop making everything about
race” and just all come together as one. We have to be anti-racism, not
anti-talking-about-race.
How
Can We Build Anti-Racist White Educators?
1. White people have a
responsibility to work with other white people to build anti-racist identities
and practices. It is not the burden of people of
color to do that work for us. We can (and should) talk critically about racism
and white supremacy, even if there isn’t a person of color in the room.
2. True anti-racism training must be
ongoing, and it must involve networks to support us in this practice.
If we are going to confront racism and white supremacy in our lives and work,
we are going to have to get uncomfortable and deeply question long-held
beliefs. We’ll need to build and maintain relationships with other folks in the
work with us. While one-off implicit bias trainings are a useful step, they are
not enough. The work of building identities and practices that push back
against white supremacy in our society must be an ongoing process.
3. This work must be accountable to
the people of color who find themselves targeted by racism on a daily basis.
Though we as white people can challenge each other, this work should not and
cannot be divorced from the experiences of people of color. We must be open and
transparent about this work and these conversations with our colleagues of
color.
4. Humility must be central to this
work. We must learn from and listen to people of color,
especially our colleagues and students. We should also approach our work with
fellow white educators from the perspective of fellow learners, rather than as
experts.
5. Talking about racism and white
supremacy isn’t enough—conversation alone won’t change the oppressive
conditions people of color face daily. However, discussion
is an essential part of this work. Anti-blackness is something that we have
learned over the course of our lives, and unlearning will take a lot of
introspection and conversation.
How Well-Intentioned White Families Can Perpetuate Racism
Hagerman is a sociologist at Mississippi State
University, and her new book, White Kids: Growing Up With Privilege in a
Racially Divided America, summarizes the two years of research she did talking
to and observing upper-middle-class white families in an unidentified
midwestern city and its suburbs. To examine how white children learn about
race, she followed 36 of them between the ages of 10 and 13, interviewing them
as well as watching them do homework, play video games, and otherwise go about
their days.
But the best answer I can really give is that the micro
level potentially could shape what goes on at the institutional or structural
level. I really think—and this might sound kind of crazy—that white parents,
and parents in general, need to understand that all children are worthy of
their consideration. This idea that your own child is the most important
thing—that’s something we could try to rethink. When affluent white parents are
making these decisions about parenting, they could consider in some way at
least how their decisions will affect not only their kid, but other kids. This
might mean a parent votes for policies that would lead to the best possible
outcome for as many kids as possible, but might be less advantageous for their
own child. My overall point is that in this moment when being a good citizen
conflicts with being a good parent, I think that most white parents choose to
be good parents, when, sometimes at the very least, they should choose to be
good citizens.
Six
irrefutable pieces of evidence that prove climate change is real
How
our colonial past altered the ecobalance of an entire planet
Most scientists accept that humanity is now influencing
our planet in ways that match geological forces such as tectonic plate
movements. We are mining the planet’s surface, acidifying our oceans, creating
new rock layers laced with plastic; and exterminating many species. The
consequences of all these actions will be detectable in rocks for millions of
years. This new epoch has been named the Anthropocene. However, scientists disagree about the date
on which the Anthropocene began. Some say it started with the explosion of the
first atomic bombs, events that triggered a technological revolution while also
leaving radioactive records in Earth’s rocks. Others say it is more recent in
origin and point to plastics that now cover the planet and which, mixed with
rocks, are forming their own distinct geological layers. Either way, the
Anthropocene’s origins are viewed as being relatively recent.
This is the marker – in 1610 – that really defines the
Anthropocene, argue Lewis and Maslin. And it was not just the movement of
pathogens by colonialists that triggered the event. So did plants and
animals. Within decades of the discovery
of America, Europeans were eating its potatoes and tomatoes, while China and
India were consuming its peppers. These imports also had a profound impact. “In
China, for example, the arrival of maize allowed drier lands to be farmed,
driving new waves of deforestation and a large population increase,” say the
authors.
Standing
Rock Sioux Tribe Welcomes Home NBA All-Star Kyrie Irving
The family connection to Irving comes from the White
Mountain family (also known as Mountain) of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. The
White Mountain family comes from the Bear Soldier District, on the South Dakota
side of the reservation. His late mother, Elizabeth Ann Larson, was adopted out
of the Tribe when she was a child. Irving’s grandmother is the late, Meredith
Marie Mountain, who is a citizen of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. His
great-grandfather is Moses Mountain and great-grandmother is Edith
Morisette-Mountain. During the Standing
Rock resistance to the Dakota Access pipeline, Irving gave his support to the
Water Protectors.
Non-Native
Albuquerque Man Given Six-month Sentence for Selling Fake American Indian
Jewelry
343
years ago on Aug. 30, the Massachusetts Bay Colony issued an order that
resulted in the incarceration of Native-Americans. Some want to make sure that
blot on Massachusetts history is never forgotten.
Official recognition of Native-American internment is
long overdue, McCann said, especially in light of this year’s U.S. Supreme
Court decision that overturned a decision that upheld the constitutionality of
Japanese-American internment.
How
a new wave of Indigenous cinema is changing the narrative of Canada
https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/indigenous-film-panel-jackson-arnaquq-baril-wente-mccue-1.4704637
Let's start with an old question, the "Dances with
Wolves" question. Do films about Indigenous people need to be made by the
community, or is it good enough to have content out there in theatres? Lisa
Jackson: Indigenous films need to be made by Indigenous people, and I'll tell
you why. When Dance With Wolves came out — even though it was a white man here
to save the Indigenous community and there were problematic things about that
movie — Indigenous people were so happy to see themselves portrayed for once as
not murderous or oversimplified, that they flocked to that movie. Now, in 2018,
we have many more Indigenous filmmakers and many more stories to tell. we're at
a point now where so many films have been made about us, without us, that
they're just telling the same stories over and over again.
Forgotten
Women: The conversation of murdered and missing native women is not one North
America wants to have - but it must
Massachusetts
tribe dealt 'tremendous blow' by feds
The decision says the tribe doesn't qualify because it
wasn't under federal jurisdiction when the Indian Reorganization Act was passed
in 1934. The Cape Cod tribe received
federal recognition in 2007. The
department took about 300 acres into trust for the tribe in 2015, but a federal
judge ordered the agency to reconsider the decision in 2016 after local
residents sued.
Why
I’m Not a Shaman, and Neither Are You
1. Are you indigenous, and/or are you in authentic
relationship with indigenous people/s?
2. Are you part of an intact tribe?
3. Are you aware of cultural appropriation, and your
privilege as a white person in benefiting from it?
4. Are you a shaman or medicine person?
5. How do you honor your responsibility to be in right
relationship with all beings?
6. What medicines of the earth do you work with, and what
shamanic techniques do you use?
7. How were you called to shamanic work?
I’ve heard many white new age folks try to say that the
word ‘shaman’ is universal, but let’s face it: the term “shaman” comes with an
implied sense that connects a person using it to the power and authenticity
modern people attribute to their idea of indigenous cultures. In fact, that’s
largely what draws modern people to wanting to use it. Tribal connotations are
exotic for many white people, and carry a nostalgia for a simpler but purer
time, much like ideas of Native American people as ‘noble savages.’ So when
white people call themselves ‘shamans’, they are generally cashing in on the
apparent authenticity other white people associate with Native cultures (and
let’s remember, there are hundreds of distinct Native cultures out there, not a
generic ‘Native American’ etc.), BUT generally without any real relationship to
them, or respect for the current lives and struggles of the peoples within
them. Ironically, usually white folks using this term are often not connected
to the indigenous practices or ancestral ways of their own peoples, let alone
the ones they’re appropriating from.
Podcast
putting Native American musicians back into the story
Donald
Trump Says ‘Our Ancestors Tamed a Continent' and ‘We Are Not Going to Apologize
for America’
The
Long History of Child-Snatching
African-Americans were not alone in suffering
separations. Starting in 1879, tens of thousands of Native Americans were
required to leave their families and attend boarding schools. Richard Pratt, an
Army officer who founded the first one, the Carlisle Indian Industrial School,
in Pennsylvania, summarized his philosophy this way: “A great general has said
that the only good Indian is a dead one. In a sense, I agree with the
sentiment, but only in this: that all the Indian there is in the race should be
dead.” He declared, “Kill the Indian in him, and save the man.”
Honoring
33 Native Tribes who Served As Code Talkers to Save the U.S
In 2000, Navajo Code Talkers were honored with
Congressional Gold Medals for their services in developing and implementing
their traditional Dine’ language as a secretive code of communication on the
battle fields in both WWI and WWII.
“However, many Americans do not know that members of nearly 32 other
Indian tribes served as codetalkers in World War I and World War II and have
never been formally recognized for their service to our country,” said Chairman
of the Committee on Indian Affairs Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell of Colorado
at the Senate Hearing on Code Talkers
During this hearing on the “Contributions of Native American Code
Talkers in American Military History, Senator Campbell lists 32 other tribes to
serve as code talkers during both the Pacific and European campaigns as;
Comanche, Cheyenne, Cherokee, Osage, Lakota, Dakota, Chippewa, Oneida, Sac and
Fox, Meskwaki, Hopi, Assiniboine, Kiowa, Pawnee, Akwesasne, Menominee, Creek,
Cree Seminole Tribes and Other unlisted tribes...
White
Ally Toolkit
If anti-racism allies are going to change any minds,
empathetic listening will likely be important.But, the anti-racism movement
should not expect POCs to empathetically listen to white racism skeptics.White
people are in a much better position to execute listening-based strategy with
people who are skeptical about whether racism is real.
Columbus Day is a celebration of the erasure of Indigenous peoples like
me from the story of American colonisation
By the age of six, I came to realise that I was not
welcome in my own country. Indigenous Peoples Day, the holiday that has
replaced Columbus Day in dozens of American states and cities, is a first step
in addressing this harm. The day offers Americans a chance to examine their
history from a more truthful perspective, one not coated with the veneer of
American exceptionalism. Read more:
https://metro.co.uk/2018/10/08/columbus-day-is-a-celebration-of-the-erasure-of-indigenous-peoples-like-me-from-the-story-of-american-colonisation-8016315/?ito=cbshareTwitter:
https://twitter.com/MetroUK | Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MetroUK/
Why
don’t anti-Indian groups count as hate groups?
Anti-American Indian groups have received little-to-no
public scrutiny, compared to their anti-black and anti-Latino counterparts. Yet
the number of hate crimes against Native Americans in 2016 was 4 percent
nationwide, even though Indigenous people represent around 2 percent of the
population. The Southern Poverty Law Center, a leading civil rights
organization that monitors hate groups, does not include anti-American Indian
groups in its annual accounting of hate groups, currently at 954 nationwide. A
Southern Poverty Law Center representative told High Country News that they
will examine whether CERA “fall in line with our hate group criteria as we work
on finalizing our 2018 count.”
This
Essay Was Not Built On an Ancient Indian Burial Ground
Horror
Aesthetics within Indigenous cinema as pushback against colonial violence
The Indian burial ground motif, heavily featured in
horror film cycles of the 1970s and 1980s, is an example of how mainstream
cinema renders Indigenous people both hyper visible and invisible. This
contradiction is what Michelle H Raheja refers to in her book Reservation
Reelism as “the violence of invisibility”.
THIS
IS A GREAT ARTICLE Native American Is Not My Race—It's Who I Am
Elizabeth
Warren may feel vindicated about her ancestry, but defining Native American
identity by race often results in dangerous challenges to Indigenous rights and
sovereignty.
As a Cherokee citizen, a Blackfeet descendant, and a
mixed-race woman, I’m tired of measuring my identity. Non-Native strangers
demand my pedigree upon meeting me, asking “How much Native American are you?”
Or, they say, “Hm, you don’t look Native American,” their eyes narrowing at my
light skin. Their words give voice to a blood quantum system they couldn’t name
themselves: Historically in the United States, blood quantum is the problematic
legal metric that defines Native people based on the fraction of their “blood”
that can be traced to Native ancestors. To much of the world, my worth as a
Native woman only extends to the fraction of my ancestors that I can trace to
government enrollment lists or through flawed genetic science.
This public debate about the validity of Indigenous
relationships based on phenotype or genetics has created frustration among some
Native people. Several Native writers have opined on how to more accurately
label Warren’s Native identity, including some saying she is not, in fact,
Native, which “is about belonging to a community,” as Julian NoiseCat writes in
HuffPo. The Cherokee Nation has also issued a statement clarifying that “Using
a DNA test to lay claim to any connection to the Cherokee Nation or any tribal
nation, even vaguely, is inappropriate and wrong.”
Identity, especially as it relates to communities of
color, has long been regulated by the settler state. Colonial leaders of a
young United States, dependent in many ways upon the labor of enslaved people,
had an interest in recognizing as many people as Black as possible; the
resulting policy was the one-drop rule, which meant any amount of African
ancestry rendered someone Black by definition. Meanwhile, the US government
used an alternative system, aimed at discounting Native American identity.
Unsurprisingly, White Americans benefited from discrediting Native identity at the
same time they did enforcing Blackness: When the developing US government
expanded into Indigenous nations, it signed treaties that created lasting
obligations between the American government and the descendants of those
tribes. As a result, the US developed a vested interest in defining the
smallest number of Native individuals as possible in order to reduce its legal
burden. Native Americans were then subjected to the blood quantum policy. As
Native identity became defined by fractions, it is unsurprising that mail-in
DNA kits presented additional challenges for Native communities.
International
Commission Investigates and Will Monitor Violence Against Indigenous Women in
the U.S. – High Level of Violence Against Alaska Native Women Astonishing
“Many indigenous women in the United States disappear,
are murdered, or experiencedomestic violence, sexual assault, and other forms
of gender-based violence at alarmingly highrates,” said said Lucy R. Simpson,
Executive Director of the National Indigenous Women’sResource Center. “The
murder rate for indigenous women is ten times the national rate onsome
reservations.” Federal officials have recognized that Native Americans are a
vulnerablepopulation to human trafficking yet hard data is scant. “Oil and gas
development on and neartribal lands also raises the already high risk that
indigenous women will become victims ofviolence, murder, and sex trafficking,”
added Simpson. “The U.S. must not ignore its humanrights obligations to respond
to, investigate, and address these increasing cases of missing andmurdered and
sex trafficked indigenous women with due diligence.”
I
Refuse To Let My Kid Dress Like Black Panther For Halloween & Here's Why
A February 2018 article in The New York Times explores
various sides of the issue, and it's clear that the debate about white kids
dressing as Black Panther is far from black and white. For some, it's yet
another example of cultural appropriation. White people have been borrowing
(and outright stealing) the costumes, music, food, ideas, religious traditions,
and innovations of other cultures since the beginning of recorded history. My
white kids are over-represented in the media, have virtually endless options to
choose from, and, honestly, can probably benefit from hearing the word,
"no" once in a while.
In the end, I decided that I was not OK with my son
choosing to be Black Panther for Halloween. You might disagree with me and
that's OK. I mean, for the record, my husband does. But I think it's time to
let kids in the Black community have something wonderful to themselves. My
white kids are over-represented in the media, have virtually endless options to
choose from, and, honestly, can probably benefit from hearing the word,
"no" once in a while. Maybe, in a future where there are more black
superheroes, I might feel differently, but for now my answer stands.
