By Mason Rosse
Despite being a minority that faces so much hardship, Native Americans are almost never portrayed in the media. There is a huge range of issues that go unnoticed by the general public, with examples like unemployment, voter suppression, alcohol abuse, and climate change.
According to The Center For Native American Youth, “In 2014, unemployment rates for [Natives] nationally stood at 11.3% – twice the average for white Americans,” with some tribal communities even “report[ing] persistent rates of unemployment above 80%.” This is even worse because of the small populations of Native Americans. In smaller populations 1 out of every 10 people being unemployed is even more devastating. This becomes even worse considering the fact that the average household income for Native American’s is 37,300 while the national average is 56,500. This means that on average Native Americans are disproportionately out of a job and make less money when they do have a job.
Although many people believe it to be a thing of the past, voter suppression still affects Native peoples greatly. For a large population of Native Americans it’s made impossible to vote because many people “live on reservations where roads don’t have names or numbers – so-called non-standard addresses”(The Guardian). In fact, Native Americans have one of the lowest voter turnout rates, with approximately 1.2 million people not registered to vote, according to the NCAI. This not only means that their issues go unrepresented in the media, but they also go unrepresented in politics with almost no way to elect leaders that can help them.
Native Americans have some of the highest rates of alcohol abuse, which is largely connected to the issues stated before. Here is a list of statistics regarding the issue:
- Alcohol use disorder is reported at 7% in Native American communities, compared to the 5% reported nationwide.
- 1 in 6 kids from ages 12-17 report underage drinking, which is the highest rate out of any ethnic group.
- For Native young adults(18-25): 3 in 10 report binge drinking, 1 in 11 report heavy alcohol use, and 1 in 10 have alcohol use disorder.
This is one of the major signs of the rapidly declining mental health in Native communities, an issue that will become worse and worse if the other problems go unsolved.
Climate change is another issue that isn’t Native American specific, but is devastating combined with the other problems named before. As stated by the NCAI, “Alaska Native villagers are among America’s first climate refugees. Temperatures in Alaska are rising at twice the rate of other parts of the world, and a federal report finds that 184 out of 213 (86 percent) Alaska Native villages are susceptible to flooding and erosion, with 31 villages qualifying for permanent relocation.” This is not the end of Native troubles with climate change. Many animals that are necessary to Native Americans are becoming endangered. With the rise in climate change also comes the loss of land and food, which will worsen the issues of mental health and unemployment.
This is not a full list of Native American issues and even this list is a lot. Any of these problems on their own call for government aid, yet these issues combined haven’t gotten any national attention. Even if there isn’t a nationwide call for help, people should at least start paying attention. This is a problem that cannot be ignored any longer.
Sources:
- The Bureau of Labor Statistics Link
- Center for Native American Youth Link
- The Guardian Link
- NCAI Link
- CDC Link
- NCAI(2nd article) Link