All our lives we were treated unkindly with racism. Growing up as one of the few families on the Rez that looked Native and being the only kids with Ojibwe names, we were teased almost every day by the light skinned Native kids because we didnt look like them. A kid threw an ice ball at my face when I was in kindergarten and it cut up my face and my eye all while teasing me for being Native.....He was an enrolled band member in my Moms tribe....Then I moved to Minnesota and was one of only 5 Natives in my Middle school. On the bus ride home one day 4 white kids started throwing garbage at me and calling me a Prairie Nigger, Timber Nigger, Wagon Burner, Savage. I was only 13 and pretty shy. I yelled at them to stop but it made it all worse. Throwing more and more things at me and said they were just trying to throw their garbage away, implying I was trash. My supposed best friend sat across the aisle from me with her White boyfriend and they just stared at me with tears in my eyes and did nothing. Then when the high school kids got on from our Rez they asked what happened, I was so embarrassed that I couldnt speak. I just sat there quietly crying. They asked Carrie what happened and she said she didnt know. She lied because those were her boyfriends friends. We had a conference with all those boys and their parents and it turned out that one of the boys Dads used to fight with my Dad when they were in high school and over the same thing. Another woman said her son couldnt be racist because she works for Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe. They were all suspended and the school invited our drum and dance troupe to the school to try to help raise awareness about Natives. As I got older I remember being followed around Walmart and watched, even tho I worked all thru high school and always had my own money. I started working when I was 13yrs old. All my life I sang and danced in Dance Troupes and we traveled all over the US bringing awareness to communities about Native Americans. When I was 14 a White kid said to me Ahnung, youre Native. Where can I find some weed?. I had no clue and I didnt even smoke pot!! I went to an all Indian Boarding School when I was 16 and my teacher asked why a Korean girl would want to go to an all Indian boarding school, and I laughed and said Are you talking to me!? Ahnung means Star in Ojibwe!! He apologized but said that because of my name he assumed I was Korean. Racism is alive and well in this country. In all shapes and forms. Being Native and being a student only magnifies these atrocities. One professor outright told me that they didnt often use Native American statistics in our textbooks because they arent ever really good. We went to a Power in Diversity conference and there was only one workshop to do with Natives and Natives werent even mentioned in any statistical information in any other workshop with the exception of ONE and its because they seen a group of us in the room. When we protested the Redskins name grown men were targeting our elders and children with their racist remarks. Whether or not they were fans of the Redskins or the Vikings!! Yelling obscenities at 9yr old girls and 14yr old boys!! It was appalling!! Even with all the experience Ive had with racism I know that hate begets hate. If I became a racist because of my experiences then I would be just as ugly inside as those people who treated me that way. We can overcome these atrocities together. It starts with how we teach our children to love others. Dont raise little jerks people. LOL Raise your kids to make friends based on whats in their hearts. HAGNE
Posted on: Fri, 05 Dec 2014 05:10:06 +0000
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