For the past few years, activists have taken to
social media and occasionally the streets to protest our nation’s practice of
celebrating Columbus Day as a government and bank holiday. As they see it,
Columbus and his crew contributed to Europe’s exploitation of the North
American continent’s natural resources while fostering the mass slaughter and
degradation of the Native American people.
The activists have turned the table on the holiday
and instead celebrate Indigenous People’s Day, honoring the culture and people
whose heritage was here before the white man.
While a Native American holiday is truly a
must-have – they are remarkable people with a fantastic culture -- the activists
come across as blatantly disingenuous. Quite frankly, by living in the past and
riding a popular politically-correct movement, they offer little consideration
for the plight of modern Native American.
That’s typical with modern political involvement,
more appropriately known as “slacktivism”. People use the internet as a
sounding board but rarely invest actual time or physical, mental and financial
effort beyond the cause du jour. It’s
cool to be a part of the in-crowd in that moment, but after that, it becomes an
afterthought.
And, the Indigenous people have become the ultimate
afterthought.
After that one day of celebration and alleged
respect, the masses go back to allowing them to suffer in silence. They become
forgotten -- the minority of minorities.
While society and our public policy systems wring
hands over the socioeconomic obstacles faced by blacks and Hispanics, almost no
consideration is given to the similar plight faced by Native Americans.
Even here in Western New York, that’s an issue. We
obsess (and rightly so) over the profound poverty in Buffalo and Niagara Falls,
but in a region where we have eleven reservations there is no substantial or
sustainable coverage in local papers, radio or TV that addresses, let alone
identifies, the similar conditions faced by Natives.
How bad is their situation? Consider these damning
statistics that look at Indigenous populations across the country:
Their high school dropout rate is a staggering 11
percent. For African-Americans that number is 8 percent, for whites just 3.
Their attainment of higher education is also
depressed. 17 percent of Native Americans over the age of 25 hold a college
degree, while 19 percent of blacks do. A third of Caucasians have a degree.
The poverty rate for Indigenous people is 26
percent, beaten only by that of blacks (28 percent). 11 percent of White
Americans are considered poor.
There’s no easy or quick fix. We need schools to
put an added focus on these kids. We need to help Native populations develop
more community development institutions. We need to hold up high-performing
communities as examples to learn from. Above all, we need to end the
discrimination and stereotypes placed on Indigenous People and welcome them into
our labor markets and into our larger community.
It will take investments of time, money and
innovative policy, which they aren’t getting enough of now, despite a third of
Native Americans living on reservations. That is where they face a no-win
situation similar to those of people living in our inner cities where most of
New York’s and the federal government’s anti-poverty resources and economic
development activities are invested.
Realize that nary a penny of the Buffalo Billion
has been spent on advancing their population. Our Governor chooses instead to
use state resources to do battle with the Senecas over casino funds while at
the same time launching private and public casinos to compete with their best
source of mass income, employment and social advancement. He is pitting the
general NY population against those who live on sovereign Native land when we
should all be working together for the development of all people.
The only economic official in the state who has
made a concerted effort to help the Native Americans is Steve Hyde in Genesee
County whose STAMP project will bring well-paying manufacturing jobs to the
border of the Tonawanda Reservation.
More public officials should follow Hyde’s lead,
think outside of the box and act grandly.
As a matter of fact, those social media activists
we mentioned earlier must do the same…get away from the computers and go into
the real world. Stop protesting Columbus Day; do something real, measurable,
and impactful.
We need everyone to help Native Americans succeed.
If we don’t, we are only contributing to the carnage that Columbus allegedly
wrought 525 years ago.
From the 06 October 2017 Greater Niagara Newspapers
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