The other night I opened up my e-mail account and found a note about an abduction that had occurred on our campus. While I appreciate being notified of such occurrences on our campus, the problem I have is that it categorized a group of people under the term “Native American.”
Students who have taken a course in ethnic studies would realize such terms are about a culture of people, not the physical descriptions themselves. There are blue-eyed, blonde-haired Natives, as well as dark-eyed and -haired Native people. The description of “Native American” is so inclusive that it could really be anybody who is 5 feet 7 inches tall and 170 pounds. Did he have a braid? Did he have a darker complexion? Did he have a tattoo with the word “Rez?” What makes him Native American?
I think there are better descriptors than the one offered. Furthermore, I think it’s a slap in the face to the Native American male students who are achieving scholastically, and someone needs to proofread the announcements before they are submitted. We have the resources on campus, and I’m sure there are many who could have asked, “What did you mean by that statement?” to help clarify the announcement, and to help pinpoint solid descriptions about the suspect.
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