Why is this news??
Why is it that five years into the 21st century American Indians going to college is news? Why do we as a country continue to oppress our own, even as we state to the world that we are spreading freedom? Is that what we are doing to the native people of this land, spreading freedom?
These issues should of been settled generations ago. We've fought the wars within ourselves over slavery, womens rights, and equal rights for people of color. The American Indian Movement was suppressed though by the federal government. Why is that? What do we have to fear from the great Nations of this land? Well, except for the truth.
Today our brothers and sisters still live in poverty. They live in the same type of squalor that is found in third world countries. No electricity, no water, no medical care. No hope for a future because it is denied them. Denied them by us, the people of the strongest, richest nation on earth.
Oppressing our own people is not what we should be showing the world, if it is freedom and democracy that we want the world have. We need to lift them up as the proud people that they are. Place their beliefs along side ours. treat them as we would like to be treated.
People of any race, color, religion going to college is without a doubt a good thing. In the third world it may even be news. In the United States of America it should be an everyday event. Not worthy of mentioning in a national news story.
These issues should of been settled generations ago. We've fought the wars within ourselves over slavery, womens rights, and equal rights for people of color. The American Indian Movement was suppressed though by the federal government. Why is that? What do we have to fear from the great Nations of this land? Well, except for the truth.
Today our brothers and sisters still live in poverty. They live in the same type of squalor that is found in third world countries. No electricity, no water, no medical care. No hope for a future because it is denied them. Denied them by us, the people of the strongest, richest nation on earth.
Oppressing our own people is not what we should be showing the world, if it is freedom and democracy that we want the world have. We need to lift them up as the proud people that they are. Place their beliefs along side ours. treat them as we would like to be treated.
People of any race, color, religion going to college is without a doubt a good thing. In the third world it may even be news. In the United States of America it should be an everyday event. Not worthy of mentioning in a national news story.
posted by Dilligaf ? at 4:34 PM
2 Comments:
Ahhhh - unless one of the goals of the article is to influence other native Americans to follow in the footsteps of their obviously "wiser" bretheren who have accepted the white man's view of what it means to be "educated." Then that puts a different spin on it, doesn't it? Some elders I've spoken with are actually saddened to see so many of their young people choose the white world's colleges over traditional learning ways. It's seen sometimes as yet one more opportunity for the dominant culture to exert even more influence over the lives and minds of the next generations.
Guess it all depends on how you look at it.
Personally I have no problem with someone learning the old ways. The trouble is though that the old ways won't get anyone anywhere nowadays. The beliefs and knowledge can be passed on. Like it or not, they won't feed the family though.
Also, if 'they' become the teachers and professors can they not have a greater influence on others.
The dominant culture always makes the rules. It's always been that way, and always will be. Even in the rest of the animal kingdom.
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