Michelle Obama Speaks Out On Native American Struggles: "We Literally Made Their Culture Illegal"

[kpete]

"Make no mistake about it – we own this,” Michelle Obama continued.

Speaking to Generation Indigenous, Michelle Obama touched on Native American history and today’s youth and how the United States government has ultimately stripped them of their heritage due to systemic discrimination, abuse and racism:

“You see, we need to be very clear about where the challenges in this community first started. Folks in Indian Country didn’t just wake up one day with addiction problems. Poverty and violence didn’t just randomly happen to this community. These issues are the result of a long history of systematic discrimination and abuse.”

“Let me offer just a few examples from our past, starting with how, back in 1830, we passed a law removing Native Americans from their homes and forcibly re-locating them to barren lands out west. The Trail of Tears was part of this process. Then we began separating children from their families and sending them to boarding schools designed to strip them of all traces of their culture, language and history. And then our government started issuing what were known as ‘Civilization Regulations’ – regulations that outlawed Indian religions, ceremonies and practices – so we literally made their culture illegal.”

These comments are truly groundbreaking coming from the First Lady. They speak volumes of the Obama Administration’s strive to be inclusive to all and remember our history’s stains. While Republicans, from state laws in Michigan and Wisconsin to acts of Congress, continue to throw Native Americans under the bus, the First Lady shares in their plight. I am sure Republicans will cry reverse racism and throw their hands in the air accusing her of pandering to anti-white “causes.”


MORE (Bravo FLOTUS!):
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/04/18/michelle-obama-just-made-groundbreaking-remarks-on-native-american-struggles/

[Gothmog]

1. Our treatment of Native Americans has been disgraceful

[malaise]

2. And not only in America Michelle n/t

[G_j]

3. please tell the president that pardoning Leonard Peltier

would create tremendous healing.

[dhill926]

5. + infinity......

[freshwest]

4. There's a reason the rightwingers hate Michelle. This is it - truth telling. Most of us knew this.

But we never had anyone like her to voice those sentiments outloud and with the forcefulness she did. Kudos!