Case Study On Federal Contracting Equity: Minority & American Native Owned Business

Knowing some of the issues that Native Americans and the U.S. Government faced back in the 1800’s, believe it or not, there is still some that arise today, along with a lot of other issues that Native Americans have within themselves.

The disproportionality has not only caused many Native Americans to remain destitute, but also has made it easy for majority groups to force this population into marginalization.

Created to promote tribal authority, revitalize native languages and sustain native cultures, Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) are a cornerstone in American higher education. With thirty-seven institutions that serve over 28,000 American Indian and Alaska Native students, TCUs seek to align their respective missions with community and tribal values (American Indian College Fund). Despite TCUs ambitions to sustain native culture and provide quality education for their populations, these institutions face innumerable challenges due to underfunding and a lack of intentional investment from U.S. governing bodies. Federal support for TCUs has been dreadfully insufficient in keeping up with the rapid expansion of these establishments, while poverty in Native communities greatly limits the amounts of tuition that can be collected; moreover, sustaining the will to endure in the face of structural inequalities is yet another barricade that TCU stakeholders face.

The modern American society is best defined by its education. The “American dream” is founded on going to school, getting a good job, and becoming successful. Ironically, the actual native peoples of this country are actually the least likely to attain this dream. The largest obstacle they face is lack of proper education. The standard educational practices being used for the instruction of Native American peoples is not effective. There are many pieces to this road-block, and many solutions. This can be rectified by having more culturally aware teachers and parents, and by teaching the general population more about the Native American cultures.

“The American Dream” is advertised as being the act of a person having an idea, goal, or as the saying suggests, a dream, and then them spending time, energy, and money to make it come true. However, if you haven’t realized it yet, there’s a reason they call it a dream because it hardly becomes a reality. More and more people are realizing this so called “dream” is nothing but a hoax, and that the promises America assures and guarantees such as equal opportunity and equal success are nothing but pure manipulation. Furthermore, the American dream no longer stands by the virtue of discrimination and prejudice, overwhelming debt, and failed establishments.

This is a major reason why we should be giving them better land instead of money. The reservation land that the government has given to the Native Americans is holding them back to live their life to the fullest. The people there only live for about an average of 50 years while an average American lives for about 78 years, that’s at least 28 years taken away from them. On top of that, the Native Americans living there only make about $7,000 a year, which is barely enough to make a living. Hence, giving them better land would allow them to live for a longer period of time and have a chance to earn enough money to provide for themselves and

W.E.B Du Bois once stated “to be a poor man is hard, but to be a poor race in a land of dollars is the very bottom of hardships” (qtd. in Rodgers 1). The Native American culture is often overlooked by many people in the United States today. What many people do not realize is that about twenty-five percent of Native Americans are living in poverty (Rodgers 1). A majority of the poverty among Native Americans is due to the United States breaking treaties that promised funds for their tribes. When non-Native Americans first began migrating to North America, the Indians were slowly having their land stripped away from them, and being pushed to live on small, poorly kept reservations. As well as taking

From its birth, America was a place of inequality and privilege. Since Columbus 's arrival and up until present day, Native American tribes have been victim of white men 's persecution and tyranny. This was first expressed in the 1800’s, when Native Americans were driven off their land and forced to embark on the Trail of Tears, and again during the Western American- Indian War where white Americans massacred millions of Native Americans in hatred. Today, much of the Indian Territory that was once a refuge for Native Americans has since been taken over by white men, and the major tribes that once called these reservations home are all but gone. These events show the discrimination and oppression the Native Americans faced. They were, and continue to be, pushed onto reservations,

When most people hear of Native Americans, they cannot help but think of elaborate headdresses, red skinned warriors, and lively dancing. Although these aspects of Native American culture are fascinating, more important is where they fare in our society 's past and present. Restrictive laws and acts such as the Indian Removal Act, the Indian Reorganization Act, Fort Laramie treaties, and the Trail of Tears forced Native Americans from their lands. When settlers and the American government saw the resistance of Native Americans to forced assimilation, they resorted to racial discrimination and relocation to reservations. This history of discrimination has fueled calls for the United States government to pay reparations and the return of Native Americans to their indigenous lands.

Since the arrival of the Europeans in 1492 the Native American has systematically been dehumanized, decivilized and redefined into terms that typify a subordinate or minority role, restricted life opportunities persist today as a result.

The oppression of people is often thought of as a political inequality. There are various forms of oppression. The forms of oppression typically thought of are violence and exploitation. However, as a society America does not see the oppression created by a lack of education that happens throughout schools. Education is a tool required for societies to advance. Lack of advancements caused by this oppression has the ability to stunt a community. Without proper education, Native Americans cannot leave this vicious cycle of oppression they face. (Congress, Chairman Rokita 2015). Native Americans are known to have the highest unemployment rates as well as the highest poverty rate. They are also known as the most educationally oppressed race in America. (U.S. Census, 2012a, 2012b). The achievement gap of Native Americans continues to widen, as the achievement gaps between other races decrease. Other forms of oppression, such as the government oppression in education, oppression of wealth (monetarily and resources) in education, and cultural oppression in education all contribute to the achievement gap of Native Americans. However, there are various solutions arising in attempt to lessen the Achievement Gap.

As stated above, many federal and state programs and policies have been issued to help provide Native American Indians with resources to operate small businesses, however, some of the programs and policies have failed and have been proven ineffective in ensuring long-term tribal economic success. For example, according to Native Entrepreneurship: Challenges and Opportunities for Rural Communities, these policies tend to fail because they focus only on starting businesses rather than sustaining them over time, they pay little attention to the political environment on reservations, and they recognize indigenous culture only as a resource that can be sold, rather than a valid guide that shapes development strategies. Also, the policies and programs fail to provide proper education on how to operate a successful business. As a result of this, Native American Indians are able to start their businesses, but unable to keep them running, therefore, they are stuck with unsuccessful businesses,

In present day capitalist Unites States, we value the America Dream as much now as we did over a century ago. This opportunity of prosperity, success, and upward social mobility, entices the masses to work hard and achieve set aspirations. The American Dream however, is hindered across the American Indian population, and in order for this hope of prosperity to come to fruition, American Indians need to be given the same opportunities as all other ethnic groups. The term American Indian is officially defined as, a member of one of the indigenous people of the Americas, esp. one of the people indigenous to the land in what is now the continental United States (“American Indian,” OED def.1). According the U.S Department of Interior Indian Affairs, there are 566 federally recognized Indian tribes in the Unites State (“Tribal Directory”). Also, the U.S Census gathered that roughly 5.4 million Americans identify as American Indians (“American Indian/ Alaskan Native Population”). While these 566 tribes may be scattered throughout the United States, most share a common dilemma.

I will begin with the important issue of employment opportunities. The unemployment rate for Native Americans is a staggering 49%. The following reasons state why the unemployment rate is so high. To start with, Native Americans have been portrayed by the media (such as movies) as primitive and hostile when in fact it is quite the

I have been hearing this for years. Black owned construction companies are still complaining that they are not getting contracts. What’s up? It is 2016, why are Black construction companies and suppliers still not incorporated into public and private construction projects? Black-owned suppliers are not getting contracts What are the barriers? Advocates from across the state are voicing their disapproval about Black companies not getting their fair share of government projects or projects being built in predominately minority neighbors.