Dare To Ask Talk And News About Our Differences - This topic has 13 replies, 14 voices, and was last updated 23 years ago by
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- Teresa, don't you know about the campaigns all over the country to remove the ugly epithet of sq*** (which translates as reds*** c**t) from rivers, valleys, mountains, etc? Don't you know about the campaigns to get sports teams to quit using native people as mascots? Don't you know about the efforts of native peoples and both native and non-native historians to remember the Trail of Tears, the massacres at Wounded Knee and Sand Creek and other places, and to honor such native heros as the Code Talkers? I agree with you, I'd like for more people to know when it's Native History Month. But if they don't know, it's not from our lack of trying.
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Name : ACC, Gender : M, Race : Mexican and American Indian, Age : 35, City : W Lafayette, State : IN Country : United States, Occupation : Grad student, Education level : Over 4 Years of College,Why do black people say they are a strong people, yet almost everything from Civil War times offends them? In Georgia alone, we've had to change our flag and name practically every street after someone in the black community, while Native People, which I'm proud to say I'm part of, never hear anything about injustices done to us before and after black people came. We don't have streets named after important Native Peoples. Also, we are bombarded during Black History Month in February about all the great things black people have done, but yet in November, you hardly now it's Native American month.User Detail :
Name : Teresa, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : American Indian, Religion : Native American, Age : 22, City : Atlanta, State : GA Country : United States, Occupation : stock clerk, Education level : High School Diploma,Simply this: There is a lot to be offended about. I think that sometimes our focus is on things that we should get over on our own, but we are strong because we have survived, and continue to overcome the roadblocks placed in our way. If you don't see that, I suspect it's because you don't want to. Luckily, as time goes on, that becomes more and more irrelevant. If you think more should be done in the month of November to celebrate the diverse cultures and history of Native people, why not get involved in organizing such celebrations yourself? I know I for one would participate. If not, why complain? I'm sure you have more than one channel on your television. If you don't find the programming interesting, change the channel. But don't expect black people to apologize for celebrating what *we* value about ourselves, and don't expect us to stop agitating for change where we see that it needs doing. We don't exist to make you comfortable. I wonder whether or not you are really Native, or whether you are one of those white people who claim or try to claim that heritage because five generations back, grandmaw was 1/3 Chocktaw or something. Your perspective certainly *sounds* like it. _______________________________________________User Detail :
Name : Jennifer R., Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Humanist, Age : 29, City : Saint Paul, State : MN Country : United States, Occupation : Writer/Student, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,You may haven't heard about the injustices done to your people, but your ignorance is not black people's fault. And black people are not overly sensitive or overly emotional (perhaps it is you who is on the wrong side of the fence of sensitivity, eh?). Black people are strong because we put up a fight whenever the majority takes us and our feelings for granted. The Confederate flag may have been originally a symbol of state's rights, but its meaning has taken on a different connotation today (KKKer's far removed from Dixie recognize the symbol as one of white superiority and non-white inferiority--including Native Americans). That's why the opposition to Georgia's state flag was so vocal. What Jew would want a swastika representing his state? The same argument applies to the Confederate symbol. Black History Month is so wide-spread because people have campaigned for it. Perhaps you should do your own campaigning for Native American Month, and stop complaining about the strives made by another minority group. No historically oppressed group can afford to become desensitized to its environment, because history repeats itself for those who are in denial. You may think black people should just roll over and 'deal' but the first time they did this, they were enslaved. And then they were subjected to ninety decades of Jim Crow. So I'm glad my people aren't being submissive anymore. If living with dignity means ruffling the feathers of the mainstream, oh well...User Detail :
Name : T.R., Gender : F, Race : Black/African American, City : Newark, State : NJ Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,My only answer regarding the Hisotry months is this: I used to work in a Military Equal Opportunity office and part of our job was to organise a committee for each month. We were in an area with several large Tribal communittees and could only ever find a handful of people willing to volunteer, unlike with the other months. We did not care what background people had (Euro, Latino, Asian, etc), just that they were interested in being a part of the education of others. If no-one from the specific community can be botherd about educating others, many people presume that it must not be important.User Detail :
Name : Gonzo, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Anglo-Hispanic, Religion : Wiccan, Age : 33, City : Monterey, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : Military, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,I undersand what you are saying but, I think if Native Americans would start to speak up for themselves that November Native American History month would be recognized just as much as Febuary Black/ Afican American History month. Also take into account that I don't know the exact number but I am pretty sure that African Americans outnumber Native Americans. This means that even if Native Americans did try to speak up it might not have that much effect.User Detail :
Name : Danielle, Gender : F, City : Ewing, State : NJ Country : United States,To be fair, how many states, rivers, lakes, towns, etc. are based on Native terminology? I know what you mean about Native leaders not being represented, and to show my ignorance I couldn't think of an example from this century. Black Civil Rights happened on the radio, TV, etc. Plus there are more blacks to sway as voters/consumers than most other minorities. The media responds to money. It's a function of population size and level of awareness, and the immediacy of related race events. Was there anything like MLK that happened in the Native populous recently? We'd never know . . . On the flipside, movies like Dances with Wolves paint a realistic and brutal picture of what happened during Western expansion. As a Caucasion male, my steady diet of guilt has included plenty of accounts like this one. Last point: Atlanta has a very high proportion of African Americans. When I lived in a 99 percent black apartment building in Detroit, I never heard much about 'Friends' re-runs or the new Phish CD. So please don't think the Native story is forgotten.User Detail :
Name : Mike20403, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 25, City : Warren, State : MI Country : United States, Occupation : editor, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,i truly believe that its a historical issue that has become part of black culture. the anger in their culture now is a natural backlash after years of oppression. its racial baggage and i dont think it will be permanent. people who say 'they' should 'just get over it' havent experienced what they have. all cultures have baggage. the deeper the pain, the longer the healing will take.User Detail :
Name : pissedkitty, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : 1/2 native, 1/2 white, Age : 39, City : Caribou, State : ME Country : United States, Occupation : psychotherapist, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,I don't think it's accurate to say that practically every street name has been changed to honor some African-American. Such hyperbole undermines your argument. Have American Indian sensitivities been overlooked? You bet they have. If you moved somewhere with a larger Native American population, such as the Twin Cities, you will hear more of their concerns being voiced. The use of Native American names and stereotypes for sports teams is one example of horrendous racism against that group. African- Americans do seem particularly insensitive to issues that don't directly affect them.User Detail :
Name : Rick29850, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Atheist, City : Springfield, State : OH Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,I think black people have had to fight for everything we got just to be a part of U.S. history. Whites didn't just come up with the idea out of the blue to acknowledge us.User Detail :
Name : Gloria-W21508, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Baptist, City : Atlanta, State : GA Country : United States, Education level : 2 Years of College,I think you're missing the point. You should not compare what blacks have gotten in comparison to what Native Americans have. I am both black and Cherokee, and I do know that there has been a lot that has been named after black people, but as one of the responders said, that was after a lon period of fighting and speaking up for ourselves. I believe Native Americans should do the same. If you want anything in this country and world I guarantee that you will have to fight for it. Rather than compare your race to them, why not learn from their example. Obviously, as you're pointing out, blacks are (slowly) getting something done in the way of representation.User Detail :
Name : Dominique, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Don't believe in religion, Age : 22, City : Washington, State : DC Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,I am black and think that injustices were done to BOTH races. I think that it is important to hear about what happened to both people. Instead of getting mad and feeling bombarded why don't you fight for more things to be done during Native American month. At my pre-dominantly white college we DID NOT start getting bombarded about African AMerican contributions til we fought for the fact that it IS an important part of history. Is just as important as the history of what has been done to Native American people. If you were in a state where you had to be reminded daily of the injustices that occured to your people i bet you would not like it either. i am not NAtive American but i do care about the atrocities that happened to them and other people (like Jews), becuase i feel that if an injustice is done to one it is done to all. And i don't make light of those injustices I embrace them and learn from them. None suffered more than the other. Just the fact that there was any suffering should be something we should use as a lesson so that these things NEVER again happen to NAtive Americans, African Americans, Jews or any person ever again. If you want the voice of Native AMericans to be hear...speak out LOUd so that your voice and the voice of your people can be heard. It doesn't help to get mad at Afican American because all they did was yell and now they are being heard.User Detail :
Name : Jummy, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Lutheran, Age : 21, City : Jamaica, State : NY Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : 4 Years of College,C'mon.... If a few names have been changed, WHY NOT? Isn't some type of recogniton acceptable and overdue regarding a black person? Recognizing great people should be across the board racially. Yes, we r a strong people; we had to be to endure what we did during slavery. Your hurt and anger is totally displaced. I have done a lot of reading on the NA history struggle; even 2 the point of shedding tears. But if you want recognition, it has to be u to stand up and make your feelings and history known. If u did that, you might be surprised at how many others support u. Do not blame us. Yes, we have lots of wonderful celebrations in Feb. That month gives us a chance 2 teach and show history that has been hidden, reaffirm that we have made significant contributions 2 our country and that we are indeed a strong people. I personally have never known that Nov. is NA month. You being silent about it is not our fault. Why don't you make that your project this Nov.? Black people will not ask you why u need a month of recognition. We will likely understand it and support. To answer your original question there has never been a serious acknowledgement of the wrong done. What I mean is that I'd better not ever tell the Jewish person that 'the Holocaust happened in the past' (although not that long ago) or the Japanese interment camp descendant to 'get over it' or a Native American person 'So what if most of your people were wiped out by murder, betrayal and disease, I don't want to hear about it'. We listen to, understand and symphathize with everyone elses situation; however when the subject of slavery comes up, the attitude from people is that 'We don't want to hear about that anymore.' And isn't it Native Americans (and rightly so) changing the names of schools and being vocal about their feelings of team and school names they feel are offensive: The Redskins, Warriors, Squaw, etc. There was an incident here where a school was in an uproar about changing the name and at the time my first thought was, 'What's the big deal; it's just a name.' But completely, I couldn't feel what u, as a NA, felt on that issue. And, until I looked and thought deeper, I couldn't comprehend how a name would bring u pain. So while you seem to think that Black people want all spotlights on them, you'd be surprised that people can and do support your causes, history and pain. Again, any great American across the racial board deserves recognition for achievements.User Detail :
Name : Kim, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Catholic, Age : 30, City : Oceanside, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : Govt., Education level : 2 Years of College,Black History Month is well-noticed because we are strong people and speak up. It is also because of this that there are many streets named after African Americans in Georgia. Maybe you should do the same for Native American History Month. Don't blame us for your month not being noticed - do something about it!User Detail :
Name : Antoinette, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Christian, Age : 26, City : Columbus, State : OH Country : United States, Occupation : 1st year college student, Education level : High School Diploma,
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