Erik Stegman: Native youth subjected to racism and stereotypes

In K-12 schools across the country, Native youth still see their tribal cultures and family heritage reduced to a logo, a mascot, or a team name. Red face paint, insensitive team mascots, and racist taunts often plague the day-to-day experience of Native American youth.

It isn’t only archaic, it’s harmful. The American Psychological Association issued a strongly worded resolution over a decade ago calling for the immediate retirement of all “American Indian mascots, symbols, images, and personalities” at schools, colleges, universities, and sports teams. Citing a significant body of research, the APA asserts that these racist representations undermine the educational experience of Native and non-Native students alike, establish an unwelcome and hostile learning environment for Native students, and undermine the ability of Native people and their tribes to accurately portray their culture.

Most importantly, research has shown that these derogatory representations have a direct negative impact on the self-esteem of Native youth, resulting in lower self-esteem, sense of community worth, and their views of their own potential.

Native youth already struggle with enough challenges. For Native adolescents and young adults ages 15 to 34, the rate of suicide is a staggering 2.5 times higher than the national average, and the second leading cause of death—a crisis. They also have some of the highest rates of poverty and poor health, and the lowest education outcomes in the country.