The history of the indigenous people in North America is rich and complex. While it mirrors stories of marginalized groups that have had to continually fight for their rights and for equal participation in American society, they have experienced their own set of biases, mistreatments, and loss.
For instance, Native Americans were annihilated by white settlers carrying smallpox, measles, and other viruses they had never experienced, infecting and killing 90% of them. They were victimized by Catholic missionaries and deceived by the federal government.
But they were resilient.
Native American leaders like Geronimo, Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, and Red Cloud served fearlessly to protect Native American people and their heritage, and to ensure their fair treatment. Their land stolen, they were constricted to underserved reservations with scarce resources that have negatively impacted their education, health care, housing, and economic prosperity to this day.
When I reflect on my earliest memories of Native American people, I recall having a totally different perception of them than I do now. Hollywood portrayals — the spaghetti westerns I watched as a boy — and the limited and biased information in history books and textbooks, I know now, did not reflect them in a positive light.
We didn’t see or hear stories of Native American code talkers, true American heroes, who sent secret messages in battle and helped America win World War II. Or of Native American women like 16-year-old Sacagawea, who assisted Lewis and Clark during their exploration of the Louisiana Territory in 1805-1806, and whose services were invaluable in helping them achieve their chartered mission objectives.
We weren’t told of the significant contributions Native Americans have made to this nation as innovators, inventors, architects, farmers, and doctors. Or that they are responsible for corn, rubber, kayaks, cable suspension bridges, raised-bed agriculture, syringes, oral contraceptives, optical anesthetics — and so many American things.
This is a time to ask ourselves why we, as a country, continue to struggle with respecting and valuing diversity, or with the concept of inclusion, especially when there is indisputable proof that interacting with people of different cultures helps us gain new experiences and become stronger?
In 1986, then President Ronald Reagan declared the week of November 23-30 “American Indian Week.” Today, we celebrate National Native American Heritage Month and recognize contemporary leaders like Suzan Shown Harjo and Tom Goldtooth, and entertainers like Buffy St. Marie, who continue carrying the baton of those who carried it before them. Those who continue to lead the never-ending fight for Native American rights, and for their right to reclaim their lands, save the environment, and eliminate racist mascots. We also take this time to pay homage to those who fought the fight before them.
This month, I hope you’ll join us in celebrating the resilience and accomplishments of our Native American brothers and sisters. We hope you’ll set aside some time to learn more about their many contributions to America. This month, PBS celebrates Native American Heritage Month with films featuring indigenous voices available at https://www.pbs.org/specials/native-american-heritage-month.
In solidarity,
Ainsley Thomas
Chief Diversity Officer
Published: Fri, 13 Nov 2020 13:00:50 +0000 by a.thomas1