Hello everyone, my name is Connor McCarty and I'm the diversity leader for Native American Heritage here at NHCC. Growing up I didn't know I was anything but white till I was around 11 years old. At that point in my life I started to notice that I didn't entirely look like my white classmates; my sister and I have been called mexican by our peers. It wasn't until then that my dad told me that I was part Native American. My people come from Rolling River First Nation in Manitoba, Canada. This didn't do anything for me until I was in high school where I got the opportunity to be in Indian education. I got to learn about the Dakota and other Nations and the history of Native Americans in Minnesota. This opened my eyes to another part of me that I didn't know, and it intrigued me. Because of this, when I was asked to be apart of this program at NHCC it's one thing that I wanted to do to learn more about myself and the people here before America was what it is today.
One issue that I have faced that many would not consider is the idea of racially stereotyping someone who "looks white." It's a challenge that has bothered me and some of my peers that identify as Native American and Caucasian. Nothing seems more degrading to me than telling someone what they are and not believing the truth shared with them. Furthermore, I believe that this position has allowed me to educate the people who come to my meetings and how I can learn and identify racial biases and stereotypes that many consider to be true without knowing the facts. Ultimately, I would not do what I'm doing here today without the guidance of my teacher Ramona, and it's something I will always be grateful for.
Here is a link talking about some of Rolling River First Nations members actions towards the COVID-19 pandemic https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/rolling-river-coronavirus-care-packages-1.5521735
Comments