Omission as the Modern Form of Bias Against Indigenous Peoples
Abstract
In
the North
American
cultural
imagination,
Indigenous
Peoples
loom
large
in
romanticized
and stereotyped
ways,
yet contemporary
Indigenous
Peoples
are
largely
omitted
from the
public
conscience.
In
K-12
education,
for
example, 87% of
references to
Indigenous
Americans
portray
them
in
a
pre-1900s
context.
In
mainstream media,
less
than
.5% of
representations
are
of
contemporary
Indigenous
Peoples. Utilizing
both
experimental
and
national
survey
studies,
I will
demonstrate that
prevalent
representations
of
Indigenous
Peoples
(or
lack
thereof)
shape how
people
think,
feel, and
subsequently
act
towards
Indigenous
Peoples,
as well
as
how
Indigenous
Peoples
feel
about
themselves
and
act
to make
change
in society.
Specifically,
I
will
first
show
that
recognizing
Indigenous
omission shapes
discrimination
and both
implicit
and
explicit
bias
towards
Indigenous Peoples,
including
attitudes
about
the
use
of
redface,
and
apathy towards
the Murdered
and
Missing
Indigenous
Women
and
Girls
epidemic.
I
will
then
show
how sensitivity
to Indigenous
omission
has
adverse
psychological
consequences
for Indigenous
Peoples’
wellbeing,
but
also
serves
to galvanize
efforts
to
change the
status
quo
through
civic
engagement.
By
making
visible
the
pernicious consequences of
omission
and
highlighting
Indigenous
agency
and
resistance
to omission,
we
illuminate
a
path
towards
creating
a more
equitable
future
for Indigenous
Peoples.
Zoom link: https://uwaterloo.zoom.us/j/98237647999?pwd=RlBBdllad3ovbnBiS2YvU2dhYWovQT09
Meeting ID: 982 3764 7999 Passcode: 519
Find your local number: https://zoom.us/zoomconference