January 02, 2011

Checklist for friends of Natives

A short but good list for people like me who have taken an interest in another ethnic group. I'll highlight a couple of the points:

What I Have Learned About Being an Ally to Native Americans

By Elli Stern and Claudia A. Fox Tree2. To acknowledge my privilege as a white person and that I am not subjected to the same oppression, marginalization and discrimination as Native Americans AND to accept my responsibility to use my privilege and be a "voice" in places where the voice of Native Americans is silenced or goes unheard.

3. To recognize the impact of social and cultural dominance as well as the historical legacy of efforts to exterminate and/or assimilate Native Americans AND to continue to remind others of the oppression Native Americans are subjected to whether by intent or not.
Comment:  For more on the subject, see such postings as:

Rob = moral police?!
Rob unqualified to discuss stereotypes?!
Rob shouldn't judge Natives?
Telling Indians what to do
Rob the presumptuous white man?

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