Racism, Justice and the American Indian
Racism far exceeds just Black and White or Hispanic and Asian. Often forgotten, the American Indian has experienced a great deal of racism in the U.S. Although many people overlook or excuse the behavior of the settlers, this was the home of the Indian person before Christopher Columbus. Contrary to popular belief, Columbus didn't discover America, the Indians already called this vast land home. And like any person defending their home or territory, the Indians fought to keep their land.
It seems a shame that Native Americans are subjected to racism in a country they called their own but they do. According to the United States Department of Justice Native Americans experience per capita more than twice the rates of violence as the average American citizen. American Indians are the victim of violence by those of other races more than 70 percent of the time. So why then is the public not aware of these statistics? The answer is horrifyingly simple; the justice system in American does not tend to care for its native sons and daughters.
According to the US Department of Justice, by its own admission, crimes against Native Americans go unpunished. The DOJ states that some of the problem is reporting of crimes by Indians but they also admit that police officers nationwide are not equipped with the knowledge needed to fight crime within Native tribes. Many times because tribal members live on reservations local police are reluctant or discouraged from responding to crimes against natives. In affect this leaves many tribes policing themselves that can get difficult because of tribal ties.
Another consideration in this sad situation is that there is still a racism barrier between Caucasians and Natives as well. There still remains distrust between Native Americans and White people thus creating an atmosphere contusive to racism. Many Native American still refer to the justice system outside the reservation to "white man's law" because many feel they don't get a fair shake. Until there is an acknowledgment that three is a problem with racism and Native American people it will continue. Admitting that there is a problem, after all, is half the battle. The Native American people have grossly been overlooked, their culture and values have been stolen and devalued. One wonders why alcoholism is a major problem with the Native American population.
It's sad commentary that in this country there is so much racism or prejudices against different groups. Much of this racism is generational, past down from one generation to the next. Hopefully, at some point racism will be eliminated.
Published by Erika V. Cox
Erika is a freelance writer and researcher. She has worked from home for more than ten years and enjoys informing others about legitimate work from home opportunities. View profile
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18 Comments
Post a CommentRacism is a symptom of a lazy mind in an age of information.
I cant stand racism. I am american indian and i think that something should be done about the way natives are treated! I am writing a persuasive speech at the moment and i cant wait to speak my mind. No one will listen to me alone....UNITE!!! and protest against the racial majority!
i say we fight back !!! and deport all of this bastard back to Europe, when do we say enough???????i am sick if sicking peace and understanding
being treated differntly is sad but when ohter people ask me is is fair to u i say that to go some where else
-I.F
i wish we could be treated fairly too.(nativee american)
hi im a 10th grader at groves acedemy and i think tht all the people should be arrested for calling natives names
and we are still waging it and stealing land and resources, even those that were given back.. go ask a Crow, a Klamath, a Navaho.. the list is still so long.
(cont. from below) ..and how much they continue to lose while their societies, populations and individuals are struggling to recover from the war we waged on them to steal their homelands. That is a tragic loss to all of us.
.."It seems a shame that Native Americans are subjected to racism".. - NO, IT DOESN'T SEEM. It is. IS, IS, IS!!! It is the greatest shame our country carries. This racism is what keeps the truth from being shouted in every history class on this continent, it's this racism that allows us to hide from our own eyes how horribly guilty of genocide we are - and I'm not even just talking about some ancestor way back when. When I was a child, when the generation of my parents and grandparents were making the rules (and they are mostly all still living), Native women were forcibly sterilized, children were still taken from their homes for culture cleansing.. That's genocide, the continuation of ethnic cleansing and murderous USA public policy genocide of little more than 100 years ago. And our ongoing despicable racism puts a bow on that closet where the rotting corpse of shame is hanging. But the saddest part is how much Native Americans have lost, both personally and collectively and h
im nota native but thats strong man. and im with ya on that