A Never Ending Long Run

We talked a lot about minorities and their stereotypes in class this week, especially those of African Americans and Native Americans. These discussions opened my eyes to the vast time frame that these groups have been subject to oppression. From slavery to police brutality in North Carolina, and from colonial disputes to the building of a pipeline, these minority groups have struggled and continue to struggle tremendously.

Let's start with African Americans. They were under the oppression of the white man as slaves until the Civil War. But even after the war, they continued to face inequality and unjust treatment. The social stigma and the ingrained fact that white men were superior prevailed. Frederick Douglass states "there is not a nation on the earth guilty of practices more shocking and bloody than are the the people of the United States, at this very hour". These shocking and bloody practices seem to never end, however. The shooting in Ferguson and the recent brutality in North Carolina have sparked a new Blacks Life Matter movement. Frederick Douglass definitely did not intend that the immoral practices would remain nearly over a 150 years later.

Moving on to Native Americans. From almost the very moment that the first colonials came in contact with the Native Americans, the indigenous people were driven West. Sherman Alexie draws an allusion to this fact by saying "we were the only real cowboys there despite the fact that we're Indians." Indians slowly continued to lose their land and were forced into reservations. Well, now even these reservations are at danger. The building of a pipeline near the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in Missouri could contaminate the main fresh water supply for many tribes. Along with this, the Native American and their reservations are very commonly stereotyped. Early on the Native Americans were described as "merciless savages" (DoI) with a primitive language and culture. They continue to be stereotyped as being alcoholics and lazy which simply isn't true.

So the point I'm trying to make is that these minority groups have faced unjust treatment for years and it doesn't seem to end. While this may seem an obvious fact, little to no change has occurred which tells me that not enough people are on this same page.