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Native American Injustice

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Native American civil rights have been a very long and hard journey for native Americans. Throughout history they were treated in such harsh and horrible ways. Their land was taken from them, they were relocated, forced to fight in wars, portrayed as savages, they were not given citizenship for many years, etc. Native Americans were granted citizenship in 1924, however they were still facing many injustices. For many years, they were taken from their homes and put in boarding school to try to make them more American. They couldn’t speak their native language and they were taught trades like farming or brick laying. In the 50s about 100 tribes were legally terminated by the US government and Native people were relocated from their reservations. …show more content…

Not only was he concerned with Native American civil rights, he was also concerned with the way they were portrayed. In 1983, he filed a lawsuit against the Cleveland Indians for their mascot, Chief Wahoo. The mascot was a stereotypical Indian with a large nose, big teeth, a feather in his hair and black paint around his eyes. Means spoke on behalf of many Native Americans who were tired of the way they were depicted on advertisements throughout the years. Similar to Means, a woman by the name of Amanda Blackhorse is working to cancel the trademark protection of the Washington Redskins. While at a Redskin’s game she heard people shouting racist and stereotypical sayings like, “go back to your reservation.” She wants to put an end to the stereotyping of Native Americans in advertisements like Means. Russell wanted Native Americans to be shown the way they truly are and have always been. He did this especially in 1992, when he started his acting career with a part in “The Last of The Mohicans” as Chingachgook. Over the years, Native Americans have been portrayed in horrible ways especially in movies. They were often depicted as blood thirsty savages or a not very bright. It’s significant for a Native American to play a Native American in movies to make it more authentic and real. Throughout the years, Russell and other members of AIM were constantly trying to bring awareness to the treaties their ancestors signed with the US government and how the government never fully kept up their end of the treaty. Means proposed a territory to be an independent Republic for Lakota and other people. The land he suggested was the same as the land from the 1851 Treaty of Fort Laramie. The people who live in the Republic of Lakotah are self-proclaimed as independent from the state. Even though the US does not recognize them as that way, it’s a big step towards

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