
What the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Day of Awareness Meant to Natives - DoreenMichele
https://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2018/5/teen-vogue-what-the-missing-and-murdered-indigenous-women-day-of-awareness-meant-to-native-women
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secondtom
> Among Native women victims of rape or sexual assault, an average of 67
> percent describe the offender as non-Native.

This really changes the tone of the outcry, I had no idea. (the link misquotes
the source, but this is irrelevant)

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steve_adams_86
In my opinion, and I believe my opinion has largely been informed by relevant
experiences (I grew up in a very racist, anti-indigenous community so I feel
as though I had to overcome that before I could see this more clearly), the
first nations of Canada and native indians of the United States (like other
minorities in the same places) have historically been victims of others rather
than of themselves.

I watched awful things growing up. The extent of bullying, the disillusion of
first nations kids from _very_ young ages, the poverty - very little of it was
perpetrated by first nations. If it was, I strongly believe you can trace
things back to deep wounds put in their culture by non-indigenous folks.

As a child I didn't understand much of this, but as I get older it brings me
an incredible amount of sadness and disappointment in how insensitive my
family and even my peers and colleagues have been towards this situation.

A few years ago I learned from a friend surveying in northern Alberta that
several bands up there were living without clean water, with overtly depressed
children, terrifyingly high suicide rates, traditional territories ruined by
development... And that this isn't uncommon across Canada. This is heart
breaking.

All of this is to say, I think it's important to recognize that many of these
people are suffering not because of the internals of their culture and
communities, but because of the negative and destructive external inputs from
those around them. It is crucial to understand the extent of this in order to
move towards eradicating the racism which feeds our countries' complacency
with this situation.

I hate being political or pushing my opinions on the internet, but this one is
too important to me. It really deserves a thoughtful, constructive
conversation, at the very least to open others' minds to the realities of
what's going on.

