The Power Of Injustice

“Minority group” is a word that is often thrown around for statistical purposes. We seem to hear about them often, but we often do not know about them. A gap is very much present in the current United States: the people we have concern for and the “other”. “Other” is usually where minority groups lay. “Other” is where the power of literature is needed most. It seems almost impossible in today’s world to be forgotten. We tweet, we swipe, we post and we make ourselves known. Yet, I have never seen a post or story about a Native American outside the context of Standing Rock. Not once. Ask many children today what they look like and they will probably describe a man with feathers and war paint. Sadly, most will not say “I am not sure, but probably

In one of Alexie’s stories he casually recollects, “[she] held her baby close to her chest, the doctor tied her tubes, with the permission slip my aunt signed because the hospital administrator lied” (Alexie 81). Does not bother us too much right? We are just trying to prevent more people living off the government welfare. But if that was your mom, would you be here. Was your best friend a first born, your father? How much can be altered with the loss of a life, especially when there is no choice given. But when have you ever heard of this? According to Alexie, living on the reservation, this occurred countless times. Forced sterilization. Would this silence still be unshattered if this happened in a predominantly white-patient hospital? I do not have a true answer, but I would assume yes. Lawsuits and media coverage would be in pursuit of this hot story. Yet we let this occur countless times under our noses. One simple answer to this problem is to blame the Native American population for their lack of asking for attention. We can only help who asks for it. But they have asked to be heard. Through documentaries, through their songs, through their

To say that there is no one crying out is a simply untrue statement. Sherman Alexie has numerous published books, from children’s paperbacks to full-fledged novels. The stories of his people are present. The heartache that persists on the reservations is still felt, regardless if covered on the six o’clock news. Literature has this all-consuming power of change. Whether we lead ourselves to it is a reflection of ourselves, no one else. Whether we know the truth of the living conditions of all of America’s people be known is our choice. Alexie’s work makes an impact. The excerpt above was enough for me to shudder. I have never personally been to a Native American reservation, but by the imagery and stories presented, I feel like I have a sense of their lifestyles. Because of Alexie, I feel like I know a largely forgotten people. That is a successful transfer of human