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“Black Friday. It’s a de facto commercial holiday when millions of Americans stand in line for hours on end outside chain stores, often in bone-chilling temperatures, in the hopes of getting the latest and shiniest whatever at discounted prices.
But November 27 is not just Black Friday. By presidential proclamation, it is also Native American Heritage Day.
This, folks, is egregious.
November is Native American Heritage Month. Its roots date back to 1900 when Arthur Caswell Parker, who was Seneca and is the founder of the National Congress of American Indians, first advocated for a day to recognize this country’s indigenous population.
In 1914, Red Fox James, a Blackfoot, rode horseback for thousands of miles, through several states, before finally arriving in Washington to petition President Woodrow Wilson for an “Indian Day.”
Fast forward to 2009, and Congress and President Barack Obama finally designated the Friday following Thanksgiving as Native American Heritage Day. Of course, Native Americans are not opposed to a day set aside to recognize our achievements, our continuing contributions and especially our service to this country (per capita, Native Americans serve in the military more than any other ethnic group). What we are opposed to is sharing the day with something as trivial as Black Friday.”
– CNN, Time to pick new Native American Heritage Day.
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Indian Country 52
Indian Country 52 is a weekly project by David Bernie that uses the medium of posters that promote issues and stories in Indian Country.
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