Making the Grades by Katherine Ellison - Article Example

Wiki’s leadership traits are inherent and her family has been the custodian of ‘ceremonial treasures’ used in Yurok cultural rituals. She firmly believes that education is the vital tool that would not only raise the living standard of the American Indians but it would also help propagate the rich cultural heritage of the tribe and bring it on the world map. Wiki’s efforts were recognized and school initiatives that prepare the disadvantaged students to get secondary school diploma and college credits are being funded by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Wiki’s assertion that ‘this is the frontline of our civil rights movements’ tells the sorry state of American Indians in a country that is considered the be one of the most developed and technologically advanced nations of the world. American Indians got this name when Columbus landed in America in 1492 but thought that he has reached India and named the brown-skinned people as Indians. Since that time, the American Indians have existed in diverse geographical locations, having their unique customs and cultural identity but unfortunately, they have not yet been absorbed into mainstream American society.

One can glean from the article that they have yet to become true citizens of the country. The whites have maintained a racial divide within the society through the deliberate use of powerful lobby of the whites and financial advantages that they enjoyed over their less privileged counterparts. The Native Americans and blacks were not allowed to participate in social activities and even education was denied to them so that they would remain unequal socially and economically. It is indeed, ironic that the month of November is celebrated as ‘National American Indian Heritage Month’ and the government and non-government agencies honor American Indians for their contribution.