When we think about social justice and activism in the twentieth century, I doubt that Native American activism would be the first thing to pop up in anyone’s mind. If someone were to ask me to give examples of activism and social justice in the twentieth century, the Women’s Suffrage Movement and the Civil Rights Movement come to mind much more easily. While both women and African Americans have faced horrible injustices in the United States, neither group has been subjugated to as much abuse as the Native Americans. Native Americans were facing horrible injustices before the United States even came to be, and the article on Native American activism outlines Native American’s efforts to find justice in the United States.
I had known about almost none of the events highlighted in the article. When I learned about activism and social justice when I was in school, though, I was taught about countless different events that shaped both the movement and the United States as a whole (i.e., The Seneca Falls Convention, “I Have a Dream,” Rosa Parks). When it comes to Native Americans and the struggles that that group of Americans has had to endure, I cannot remember a single event that I learned about in school regarding their path to social justice. I think that this says a lot about the ways in which Native Americans and their history are treated in today’s culture. These people have faced countless instances of appropriation and people trying to erase their history. After reading this article, I have learned just how relevant and important they are in conversations about activism and social justice.
I had the same thoughts when doing this reading; Native American activism often gets excluded at the forefront of discussions about advocacy. I had a similar experience in terms of my school’s history curriculum. I saw a post on the Jepson school Instagram today that ties into our reading. The post was in response to Trump’s declaration of November as National American History and Founders Month. Dr. Wilkins said “‘Founders is an interesting word. How can you found a nation or nations [that] already exist?’”. I think that Trump’s insensitive decision reinforces the importance and relevance of including Native Americans in more conversations about activism and social justice.
I believe we pick and choose which injustices to focus on. I think helping Native Americans has not fit the American political agenda until recently because the Native Americans held valuable land in which we (as a country) could profit off of. As a capitalistic nation, injustices against groups such as the Native Americans is inevitable. I am not justifying the acts towards Native Americans, however posting out a core value of our country which contradicts preserving a Native American lifestyle.
You summed up some of my very first thoughts as I was reading the article. The article starts off by commenting on how students only learn about Native American history in November, but I don’t even remember learning about it then. I remember learning about the “first thanksgiving” when I was very young, and then I remember being told that was a bunch of malarky but not much about why and how that all happened. They’ve always been on the outskirts of the history we learn in school when they really should be at the forefront if we’re going to appreciate the land we live on.
There are many topics that are neglected to be looked at in education, and so they continue to be removed from normal rhetoric. It is absolutely important to make sure that we are incorporating these stories in our education, because if we don’t, they will be forgotten.
I think an important part of emphasizing Native American activism is by including Native Americans in other activist causes, such as the fight for gender equality, so others can hear their voices in a way that is more mainstream and less difficult to digest given accepting the injustices our nation was founded upon can be a hard pill to swallow for many.