The Forgotten Minority and How They Still Struggle Today

What can Ordinary Americans do to Address a Problem that has Persisted for Hundreds of Years?

Credits: Unsplash

Sometimes referred to as the “forgotten minority,” Native Americans are often not stood up for because they are so underrepresented or glossed over in American history. They are so overlooked that, often times, if you do a Google search for demographic statistics, it includes black, white, Asian, and Hispanic — many times not even mentioning Native Americans at all.

So here are some of the statistics that I’m referring to: the life expectancy is about four years shorter than the national average; the median household income is about $20,000 lower than the average American family; they have the highest suicide rate of any race; they are three times more likely to experience diabetes and liver disease; they have the highest poverty rate of any race at nearly 30 percent; the homicide rate against Native Americans is twice the national average; and more than 80% of Native American women are subject to violence at some point in their lives and more than half are victims of some form of sexual assault. Native Americans also have some of the highest rates of drug and alcohol abuse, as well as, some of the lowest high school graduation rates. Many of these grim statistics do not line up with what you might expect from a developed nation…