As the first Native American woman to earn a medical degree, Susan LaFlesche Picotte was a shining example to tribal members everywhere. She proved it was possible to lift oneself out of the morass of the reservation system and live a useful life. However, in proving that point, Picotte literally worked herself into an early grave.
Dear Sticky Wicket,
What is racial inclusion, and how do we achieve it? In its simplest definition, racial inclusion means that all individuals regardless of color have the same access and acceptance to any and all parts of society. It’s tit for tat diversity so to speak. For every white there must be an equal number of blacks, Latinos and Asians in any one environment.
~Racially Confused in Alabama
Dear Racially Confused,
As we move toward Election Day, the racial tension and bitter rhetoric is building to a fever pitch. It seems as though spouting stereotypic and bias notions and taking racist actions, then denying the obvious racism displayed, is becoming more commonplace than at any time since the Jim Crow era.
Republicans are racist. They’re uncaring about the poor and they’re greedy. If you read enough blogs, email forwards and biased news reports it’s easy to come away with this perception about the Grand Old Party of Abe Lincoln. But the rule of thumb is to be careful about generalizations.
Racism and prejudice flourish whenever we lump all people of a certain race, religion, or political bent under one banner. There are variations in every arena. It’s just that sometimes the worst element of a demographic often speaks for the whole.
