Federal Contracting Equity: Minority & American Native Owned Businesses Why are our American Natives still being left out of the American dream? The federal government sets a side a certain percentage of the federal contracting dollars to be awarded to Native American Companies. Yet they are not meeting those numbers and are loosing out on economic funding that has been allocated for their use. The problem here is that American Native companies are not achieving their allotted percentages in federal contracting dollars and minority owned businesses are achieving their federal goals. The federal government has been mandated to set aside a certain percentage of federal contracting dollars for small disadvantaged businesses. However the American
Ever since the very first colonies were formed, the Native Americans have been forced out of their beloved inveterate lands in order for the Americans to be able to expand their new found territory. Yet, nothing ever changed and the same economic policies continued, bringing nothing but destruction to the Native people. Meanwhile, the political and social policies were dramatically distorted, deceiving the tribes into losing land and cultural values. Jackson’s efforts to remove any and all Cherokee Indians to territory west of the Mississippi in the 1830’s maintained the same economical attitudes as before but changed the social and political policies set by the previous colonies and the United States government towards the Native Americans.
It is clear that the Native American community has, for decades, been struggling with heavy doses of this problem. The fact that the poverty rate in these reservations is not even just minimally higher than the national rate, but the fact that they are three times as high, is quite alarming. Additionally, “from 2007 to 2011, only blacks (25.8 percent) and American Indians/Alaska Natives (27 percent) had poverty rates that exceeded the U.S. poverty rate of 14.3 percent by 10 percentage points or more” (Crenshaw, 2014). It should garner attention the fact that nearly half of the children in these reservations are possibly going to sleep hungry, or are lacking of essential items. It nearly half of children were living under such extreme forms of poverty anywhere else, it surely would be featured in the first block of news
When most people hear of Native Americans, they cannot help but think of elaborate headdresses, red skinned warriors, and lively dancing. Although these aspects of Native American culture are fascinating, more important is where they fare in our society 's past and present. Restrictive laws and acts such as the Indian Removal Act, the Indian Reorganization Act, Fort Laramie treaties, and the Trail of Tears forced Native Americans from their lands. When settlers and the American government saw the resistance of Native Americans to forced assimilation, they resorted to racial discrimination and relocation to reservations. This history of discrimination has fueled calls for the United States government to pay reparations and the return of Native Americans to their indigenous lands.
Knowing some of the issues that Native Americans and the U.S. Government faced back in the 1800’s, believe it or not, there is still some that arise today, along with a lot of other issues that Native Americans have within themselves.
From its birth, America was a place of inequality and privilege. Since Columbus 's arrival and up until present day, Native American tribes have been victim of white men 's persecution and tyranny. This was first expressed in the 1800’s, when Native Americans were driven off their land and forced to embark on the Trail of Tears, and again during the Western American- Indian War where white Americans massacred millions of Native Americans in hatred. Today, much of the Indian Territory that was once a refuge for Native Americans has since been taken over by white men, and the major tribes that once called these reservations home are all but gone. These events show the discrimination and oppression the Native Americans faced. They were, and continue to be, pushed onto reservations,
This is a major reason why we should be giving them better land instead of money. The reservation land that the government has given to the Native Americans is holding them back to live their life to the fullest. The people there only live for about an average of 50 years while an average American lives for about 78 years, that’s at least 28 years taken away from them. On top of that, the Native Americans living there only make about $7,000 a year, which is barely enough to make a living. Hence, giving them better land would allow them to live for a longer period of time and have a chance to earn enough money to provide for themselves and
Native Americans have been oppressed by numerous entities including the government, businesses, and white settlers
Since the arrival of the Europeans in 1492 the Native American has systematically been dehumanized, decivilized and redefined into terms that typify a subordinate or minority role, restricted life opportunities persist today as a result.
The Native American, and Native Alaskan political status is unique. They don’t follow state laws as they are their own entity however they have to follow federal laws. Native people are also being completely disregarded in elections, as there is a huge disregard for educating these people on the election, and a
Through the years minority groups have long endured repression, poverty, and discrimination. A prime example of such a group is the Native Americans. They had their own land and fundamental way of life stripped from them almost unceasingly for decades. Although they were the real “natives” of the land, they were driven off by the government and coerced to assimilate to the white man’s way. Unfortunately, the persecution of the Natives was primarily based on the prevalent greed for money and power. This past impeded the Native American’s preservation of their culture as many were obviated of the right to speak the native language and dress in traditional clothing. Because of this cultural expulsion, among other
The disproportionality has not only caused many Native Americans to remain destitute, but also has made it easy for majority groups to force this population into marginalization.
I will begin with the important issue of employment opportunities. The unemployment rate for Native Americans is a staggering 49%. The following reasons state why the unemployment rate is so high. To start with, Native Americans have been portrayed by the media (such as movies) as primitive and hostile when in fact it is quite the
W.E.B Du Bois once stated “to be a poor man is hard, but to be a poor race in a land of dollars is the very bottom of hardships” (qtd. in Rodgers 1). The Native American culture is often overlooked by many people in the United States today. What many people do not realize is that about twenty-five percent of Native Americans are living in poverty (Rodgers 1). A majority of the poverty among Native Americans is due to the United States breaking treaties that promised funds for their tribes. When non-Native Americans first began migrating to North America, the Indians were slowly having their land stripped away from them, and being pushed to live on small, poorly kept reservations. As well as taking
During the end of the nineteenth century, the United States had formed policies which reduced land allotted to Native Americans. By enforcing these laws as well as Anglo-American ideals, the United States compromised indigenous people’s culture and ability to thrive in its society.
Even though the optimal American Dream doesn’t promise that all citizens will achieve personal success, it offers equality and fortunes for them to pursue dreams through hard work. However, during the Industrial Age, the American Dream didn’t apply to the lower class. Most immigrants from southern and eastern Europe arrived in the United States to escape religious persecution and poverty in their home countries and also seek new opportunities. But, they realized the brutal reality after their arrival. As unskilled foreigners who suffered poverty and lacked experience and English skills, immigrants lived in nasty tenements located in city ghettos, earned little wages that at times couldn’t even enable the whole family to survive, and were taken advantage from bosses because of their naivete and lack of power. African Americans faced a crueler circumstance because of the long-lasting racial discrimination. In the 1880s, a number of African Americans migrated from rural south to industrial cities in order to avoid poverty, violence, and oppression they faced in the deep South. However, they rarely found factory jobs or professional opportunities. Women also couldn’t rule their destinies during the Industrial Age. Desiring to be more independent and provide financial help to families, many women worked in factories. Most of them experienced disadvantages, including gaining less wages than men did and experiencing sexual harassment from their foremen. Even though the federal