Renee Holt: Exercise your right to represent your tribal nation

Friday, October 12, 2012  

"Most often, society assumes that Native people were “given” the right to vote in 1924 when the government signed the Indian Citizenship Act. However, what most people aren’t aware of is that act wasn’t passed until 1970. As it stands, we are taught through an education school system comprised of colonized history lessons. They are taught from a white perspective that reeks of privilege most often. What is left out are actual facts- such as American Indian and Alaska Native citizenship was not actually “given” to Native people and historically not all states ensured voting for Native people.

During this election year, it’s imperative to practice your right to vote, especially considering that’s how the government system operates, and how long it took for Native people to fight for the right to vote. As I listened and watched the Vice Presidential candidates debate last night, I was struck by how marginalized communities are seldom mentioned in national debates. Granted the Native population is the smallest minority of “Others”, we make up a significant vote for states such as California, Arizona, New Mexico, Montana, Washington, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Oklahoma. Not to say other states aren’t important, but the significance is based on the populations of Native people in those states.

With a unique status that is like no “other” racial ethnic group, Native people have the oldest “government” system in the country. Through history we've learned that the Declaration of Independence was based on the Iroquois Confederacy. If indeed the government used the Iroquois Confederacy governance model, imagine what “democracy” would truly look like for our country."

Get the Story:
Renee Holt: Your Right to Vote: Use It to Represent (Last Real Indians 10/12)