For nearly three decades it has been proclaimed that November would be Native American Heritage month. This proclamation was a huge step to acknowledging our country’s past and shedding light on the history of a nation.
We must continue taking steps in recognizing Native American history.
Native American history is an important part of our history and we must continue recognizing it in order to truly understand how this country came to be. We must fight the hiding of the truth and silence of our nation’s first people.
This year the month is jeopardized by our 45th president. He has attempted to rebrand the month entirely, which hides the people we are supposed to be recognizing. Native Americans recognize the rebranding to “National American History and Founders Month” as an effort to erase the Native Americans from what they want to focus on.
Within his time as president there have been many displays that are simply played off as patriotism when in reality they are in support of white nationalism. Some may say that the color of a person’s skin has no influence in the matter.
That would be ignorant to say because if you ignore the entire picture you are ignoring this picture. It is important to look at these facts when viewing this topic to see every aspect of the issue.
This act was a move to downplay the communities within our country that are still thriving on despite all that tries to stop them. This act of diminishment tries to hide that they still survive. This hides the fact that they are still fighting for the recognition and preservation of their way of life.
Although Native Americans are still here and continuing their practices, we are not taught of the true influence on our country. Many schools have failed us in educating us on Native American history.
Where these school have failed us, Native American History Month can bridge the gap. This month cannot make up for all the history lost in the history books written by the other side. But it can help us understand even just a little bit and take strides towards learning the history of our country.