Here we go again, Soledad O'Brian is trotting out her world famous Black in America series. And when does she do this? November! This the month that is supposed to be honoring Native American Heritage. How about Native Americans in America? After all we were here first! She is not only stealing our thunder and has been doing this for about three years but is stealing our identity with it.
I am part Ojibiwe Indian and spent the first four years of my life on the Lac Courte Oreilles Indian Reservation near Hayward Wisconsin. Hollywood has seldom portrayed my people well. We were the "savages" in westerns, who spoke pigeon English, like How and "me want em this and that". We also were killing everyone in sight. It wouldn't have been as bad if they were employing Native American actors but Indians were mostly played by Whites in brown face! The only real Indian actor was Jay Silverheels, who played Tonto in The Lone Ranger.
You would think after the Civil Right's Bill was passed that there would be more attention to the injustices piled on Native Americans throughout this country but the only documentary I have seen lately is Diane Sawyer's portrait of The Pine Ridge Sioux Reservation in South Dakota. It focused on the high alcoholism rate and high unemployment rate on the reservation. This is true about most reservations because there are no professional chemical dependency counselors in the reservations. Because our economy is ailing, jobs are hard to find anywhere.
The networks should be searching for Native American talent to fill the newsrooms as reporters and anchors. There should be more Native American actors and actresses in their dramas. There was a great actor, Adam Beach on Law and Order SVU but he was only on a few months. They failed to flesh out his character to make him more appealing to the audience so he was doomed to be kicked to the curb! I read an article about who was being released from the show and they said"Beach won't be missed." The show didn't utilize him well so his "Q" ratings would go up! His last scene was him in handcuffs entering a squad car. They wouldn't even let him go in glory!
The networks should have programs about our people crossing the Bering Strait and how they made the land work for them. They were the first environmentalist, they hunted to eat not for sport and used every part of the deer or bear for clothing and tools. Our Pow Wow dancing is more spectacular then any African dancing I've witnessed! The colors of the costumes, the singing and drumming and gingling of the dancer's costumes are exciting!
Wake up everyone and give us honor! It is the least you can do to make up for the hurt your ancestors caused us and to let our deceased have a more peaceful sleep because they are being recognized as the real people they are not the stereotype that Hollywood has perpetuated!