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Friends,
Rather than continue the other thread, I thought I would start a new one, where those who are actually interested in more than personal stories could get involved.
Yes racism affects Native people, it affects us all and even those in the majority recognize the debilitating impact that ot has on people of color including of course Indians.
The purpose of this post is to expose a hoax that perpetrated on the internet Indian community.
According to Thomas Atkins this young man who claims to have Cherokee blood was denied his diploma because he insisted on violating the school dress code at graduation by wearing a "bolo tie" to "honor his native ancestors". This young man was on the Today Show with his blond mother and a spokewoman from the school district in question. He was NOT denied his diploma and in fact he can pick it up at the school as all the other students do, he was fully aware of the dress code. Other students wore religious dress and sought permission to do so. This young man chose to take this issue to the media and accuse the school district of racial discrimination over this issue. This "Alerts" was in at least 150 newsgroups. Well this is what members of Indian Law had to say about this issue and other phony racism charges. When I challenged Thomas in other newsgroups he attacked me, even alleging that I was in fact a racist. I don't need to defend my actions to anyone who is first non Indian, second unable tro substaniate any of his claims, third a person who appears to myself and others (many others) to be more interested in his own 15 minutes of fame than about doing anything for native people. Read and join us if you want to fight racism. Black folks have a saying "either you are part of the solution or you are part of the problem" which side are you on?

including these "alerts"Subject: [indian_law] Nomination for HOAX of the Year
2005:
Shocking Treatment of Indian Boy
>
>
> The last
e-mail
below explains everything, this is a lot about
nothing.
>
>
Things of this nature divert attention from real issues,and real
issues
are
not about bolo ties. Real issues are unemployment rates of 70-85%+
on
reservations, 15%-20% in off reservation corridor areas, diabetes of
a
scale
to be a national disaster and rampant discrimination. And a kid who
wants
to make a name for himself by making an issue about a bolo tie basing
it on
an unknown Cherokee or a Native American Ancestor diverts media
attention
from real issues and Indians suffer. And, in case anyone missed it,
there
is no tribe known as the Native American Tribe,
>
>
While
a
lot of people in the Southwest and South wear bolo ties from time to
time,
this does not make it traditional any more than blue jeans and cowboy
boots
and most Indians in the South, Southwest, and West, of all tribes,
wear
both, and frequently.<