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From Media to Movies: Addressing Native American Stereotypes

From Media to Movies: Addressing Native American Stereotypes

On November 7, The Washington Post reported, “The FBI and authorities in several states are investigating racist text messages sent to Black people nationwide this week saying they would be brought to plantations to work as enslaved people and pick cotton.”

This recent rise in proud, hateful intimidation tactics reminds me of a racist sign that was waved at a 2020 rally that left the news anchor in shock. The disturbing handwritten poster read: “Coming for Blacks and Indians first…”

RELATED: 5 Abolitionists Who Show Us What White Allyship Looks Like

Thinking about all this hate against the two most historically oppressed racial demographics in our nation’s history brings tears to my eyes. Sadly, I’m not surprised that, as the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the United States wrote, “​​racism continues to work its evil upon this nation.”  In “The Vision of Race Unity” in 1991, they stated:

The recent resurgence of divisive racial attitudes, the increased number of racial incidents, and the deepening despair of minorities and the poor make the need for solutions ever more pressing and urgent. To ignore the problem is to expose the country to physical, moral and spiritual danger.

I’ve written articles about the stereotypes fueling misogynoir, and in this article, I’m focusing on the stereotypes driving anti-Indigeneity. After all, aren’t stereotypes the fallacies behind prejudice? I’m grateful to share the perspectives of Native American Baha’i friends on this important matter.

RELATED: How Chief Sitting Bull’s Great-Great-Granddaughter Became the First Lakota Baha’i

Native American Stereotypes in Media, TV Shows, and Movies

Medicine Eagle, a practicing holistic healthcare practitioner and member of the Anishinaabe nation residing on the Omaha Indian Reservation in Macy, Nebraska, wrote in an email to me, “The biggest misconception of Native people is that we are ’savages.’”

Photo of Medicine Eagle, courtesy of Medicine Eagle.

As stated in the article “I is for Ignoble: Stereotyping Native Americans,” published online by The Jim Crow Museum, Native Americans are “represented as barbarous, with tomahawk and scalping knife in hand. In contrast, Euro-Americans are depicted as innocent victims of savagery, especially from Indian males.”

I’m sure many of you have heard of or seen those Westerns depicting our nation’s Indigenous people attacking Euro-American colonizers. In reality, to use the words of the Jim Crow Museum, “many American Indians were taken captive by non-Indians, tortured, incarcerated, murdered, and expelled into slavery. Because Europeans and Euro-American colonists threatened Native peoples, many resisted mightily to defend their families and homelands.”

When Native Americans are not stereotyped as savage in these movies and television shows, they are rarely represented at all. 

Medicine Eagle continued, “Depictions of the Indian peoples in the media are always that of Natives, not human beings that are doctors, lawyers, teachers, artists, farmers, etc.”

He shared that his dear friend, an actor on a popular Western television program, “went into show business to dispel the type cast, only to face the reality that he can only be cast as a Native.”

Every person wants to be seen as a multifaceted individual, recognized for their diverse talents, professions, perspectives, and qualities, rather than being confined to a race-based role and the harmful stereotypes that reduce their full humanity.

In addition to being depicted as savages, Native Americans are often portrayed as impoverished, uneducated, and struggling with addictions. Louise Profeit-LeBlanc, a retired National Indigenous Arts Administrator for the Canada Council of Canada and member of the Nacho N’yak Dän First Nation of central Yukon, Canada, explained that “so much of the media only portrays the weakness of Indigenous people.” 

Louise Profeit-LeBlanc,  a retired National Indigenous Arts Administrator for the Canada Council of Canada and member of the Nacho N’yak Dän First Nation of central Yukon, Canada Louise Profeit-LeBlanc,  a retired National Indigenous Arts Administrator for the Canada Council of Canada and member of the Nacho N’yak Dän First Nation of central Yukon, Canada
Photo of Louise Profeit-LeBlanc, courtesy of Louise Profeit-LeBlanc.

“These stereotypes have weakened the people and also have prevented those who might like to get to know us from doing so,” wrote Louise Profeit-LeBlanc, whose Northern Tutchone name is Tsé Itsoh — Beaver Woman.

Nadema Agard — whose Lakota name is Winyan Luta, meaning Woman Holy Red — is a Cherokee, Lakota, and Powhatan artist, educator, consultant, curator, and storyteller. She also emphasized how these highly sexualized images of Native Women are contributing to the high rates of assaults, kidnapping, and murder of Indigenous women.

How We Can Combat These Harmful Stereotypes Against Native Americans

Medicine Eagle wrote, “We need to return to our original teachings, and the teachings of the Baha’i Faith that there is only one race — the human race. This understanding will aid in eliminating racism.”

Certainly, at a talk in Paris in 1911, Abdu’l-Baha, one of the central figures of the Baha’i Faith, said:

For God created us all of one race. There were no differences in the beginning, for we are all descendants of Adam. In the beginning, also, there were no limits and boundaries between the different lands; no part of the earth belonged more to one people than to another. …How can we uphold war caused by an illusion?

Louise Profeit-LeBlanc suggested that we “work with Indigenous people to find the sacred line of reconciliation and build a new world together.” She shared that “there are many books that have been written by Indigenous people, and there are many filmmakers, theater artists, poets, and educators who can be called upon to help bring better understanding.”

Nadema Agard highlighted the importance of having a “better Native American curriculum in our school system and more exposure in the media.” She also stressed the need for allies “to support the Native community members but not speak for them.”

Photo of Nadema Agard, courtesy of Nadema Agard.

Louise Profeit-LeBlanc wished that more people understood that Indigenous people are “community-minded” and want to share their “knowledge of what the land has taught [them] with the rest of the population.” She wrote, “We have always been hard workers, thinkers, healers, providers, hunters, etc. who care about our human family.” 

So, let’s all care about them and work together to dispel these harmful Native American stereotypes that are stoking hatred and oppression. 


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Geledés: How Afro Brazilians Are Combatting Racism

Geledés: How Afro Brazilians Are Combatting Racism

A quote often attributed to James Baldwin expresses a profound truth, “To be African American is to be African without any memory and American without any privilege.”

African Americans endure systemic and institutionalized racism as people of African descent, while also not being able to identify with any specific ancestral country — and hold on to the language, culture, and heritage that comes with it — because the passing down of these ancestral roots was forbidden in slavery.

Initially, I thought this experience was unique to the African American community. However, after speaking with two Afro Latinas — Black women in Brazil who are leading powerful efforts to advocate for Afro-Brazilian rights — I realized that the oppression and cultural homicide for those of us who descend from enslaved Africans is universal across the Americas.

The Racism and Sexism That Black Women in Brazil Face

Despite 56 percent of Brazilians identifying as Black — the largest population of African descent outside of Africa — Blackness in Brazil is still often linked to inferiority.

RELATED: How MLK Sought to Restore Dignity to Black People

Carolina Almeida, a philosopher, internationalist, and political scientist, shared that as children, they are raised with the understanding that the farther they are away from Blackness, the greater the person they are going to be.

She says, “So, identifying as a Black woman or as a Black man in Brazil is a great step, actually a great social and, also, emotional step to be achieved, because we are constantly being persuaded by everything around us that being Black is bad, it’s ugly, it’s not interesting.”

Carolina Almeida

In a 2022 letter to the Baha’is in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Universal House of Justice, the globally elected governing council of the Baha’i Faith, discussed how this “crisis of identity is directly related to the spread of prejudice.”

Leticia Leobet, a social scientist specializing in anthropology, added:

In terms of my daily life as a Brazilian, the impact of racism added to misogyny is notable. And more than in my daily life, it has an impact on the construction of [my] self, my inner identity. So, it is an action that devoids you from any perspective of [the] future — who you want to be, what you want to do, and how you see yourself in the world. So you lose all that. We are forged in a way that we don’t believe in our potential, in our capacities.

Leticia LeobetLeticia Leobet
Leticia Leobet

Her experience echoes the insights shared by the Universal House of Justice in a 2020 letter to the Baha’is of the United States, which emphasized how racism suppresses individuals’ abilities to realize their full potential:

Racism is a profound deviation from the standard of true morality. It deprives a portion of humanity of the opportunity to cultivate and express the full range of their capability and to live a meaningful and flourishing life, while blighting the progress of the rest of humankind.

Carolina says, “For us Black women in Brazil, especially, we are always hitting this glass ceiling because you can see, but you cannot achieve” due to “social and political barriers.”

These challenges prevent many from pursuing professions like becoming physicians or engineers, and, as she noted, “In Brazil, the Black women have been at the [bottom] of the social pyramid since slavery.” 

Stepping into leadership roles in politics is particularly difficult, and this struggle is so ingrained that it affects their mindset, limiting their ability to envision themselves in positions of power. Carolina says, “I would never have imagined I would be working inside the UN [United Nations]…and the Baha’i International Community has helped us a lot on this path.”

How Geledés Advocates for Afro Brazilians

Carolina represents Geledés – Instituto da Mulher Negra in the United Nations’ periodic review mechanisms and the G20, while Leticia serves as an international advisor for the organization. Founded by Black women in 1988, Geledés is a Brazilian non-governmental organization that combats racism and sexism in all its forms while ensuring equal access to rights and opportunities for people of African descent.

In September 2022, Geledés was granted consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), enabling the organization to access various human rights mechanisms and special events. Since obtaining this status, Geledés has been able to independently produce shadow reports requested by UN committees, focusing specifically on the urgent needs of women and girls of African descent in Brazil, who face the harshest violations. These detailed reports assess the current situation and offer recommendations for actions the Brazilian government should take. Notably, many of these recommendations have been integrated into the official guidance provided by UN committees to Brazil.

Geledés tackles a variety of critical issues, including hunger and poverty, violence against people of African descent, the mass incarceration of Black people, public health disparities, economic crises, climate change, and religious freedom. Additionally, the organization highlights the significant problem of violence against women and girls of African descent within the Public Health System. The UN often cites the data collected by Geledés to advocate for the Brazilian government to take action against femicide.

RELATED: Over 90,000 Black Women and Girls Are Missing and Forgotten

Geledés is mentored by Iradj Eghrari, an international consultant and former member of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Brazil. As a Baha’i, Iradj recognizes that Geledés’ goals align with one of the missions of the Baha’i Faith, which is to be “an upholder and defender of the victim of oppression.” He expresses his support, stating, “Religion is converting your spiritual principles into action.”

Iradj EghrariIradj Eghrari
Iradj Eghrari

How Everyone Can Help Eradicate Misogynoir

As we think of how we can eradicate misogynoir, this intersectionality of racism and sexism that is wounding Black women in Brazil and across the globe, let’s call to mind the following words from the Universal House of Justice: 

To distrust, fear, hate, or discriminate against another person or a whole group on the basis of ethnicity is a spiritual disease. It is also a scourge that infects social structures and causes instability. In this light, eradicating ethnic prejudice requires transformation at the level of both the individual and the social environment.

At the individual level, Iradj says “we have to empower women of African descent to recognize their potential.” This empowerment is “not a question of just giving some tools,” it’s embracing, loving, and being there for them. At the level of the social environment, Iradj expresses the need for us “to have policies established” and change “racist structures.”

He continued, “So what I can do as an individual is to implement action. This thought of: how can I be of service to another human being?”


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The 9 Different Types of Safety: From Physical to Emotional

The 9 Different Types of Safety: From Physical to Emotional

Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Baha’i Faith, stated that the Baha’i community “should feel it to be its first and inescapable obligation to nurture, encourage, and safeguard every minority belonging to any faith, race, class, or nation within it.”

To “safeguard” means, as Merriam-Webster defines it, “to make safe: PROTECT.” What comes to mind when you think of needing to feel safe? My mind immediately thinks of psychological and emotional safety, my mother thinks of medical and social safety, my brother thinks of physical safety, and my friend thinks of financial safety. 

This made me realize how important it is for us all to understand the different types of safety if we’re going to do our best to safeguard every marginalized community from the various forms of harm.

1. Physical Safety

Ensuring that oppressed demographics are physically safe necessitates protecting them from physical threats, violence, and exploitation. The urgent need for physical protection is evident in these alarming statistics: 

In 2022, there were 13,278 victims of reported hate crime incidents in the United States, 59 percent of which were racially motivated. Globally, an estimated 49.6 million people were in modern slavery on any given day in 2021, including forced labor, forced marriage, and sex trafficking. Additionally, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that “on average, 736 million and up to 852 million women who were aged 15 years or older in 2018 (almost 1 in 3 women)” have experienced physical or sexual violence.

RELATED: Over 90,000 Black Women and Girls Are Missing and Forgotten

What are we doing to ensure that every member of our human family is protected from all forms of physical harm? Abdu’l-Baha, one of the central figures of the Baha’i Faith, explained that “if someone oppresses, injures, and wrongs another,” the “community has the right of defense and of self-protection; moreover, the community has no hatred nor animosity for the murderer: it imprisons or punishes him merely for the protection and security of others.”

He continued:

… the constitution of the communities depends upon justice. … Then what Christ meant by forgiveness and pardon is not that, when nations attack you, burn your homes, plunder your goods, assault your wives, children, and relatives, and violate your honour, you should be submissive in the presence of these tyrannical foes, and allow them to perform all their cruelties and oppressions.

No, the words of Christ refer to the conduct of two individuals towards each other: if one person assaults another, the injured one should forgive him. But the communities must protect the rights of man.

RELATED: What Is Power Without Love? Explore MLK and Baha’i Quotes

2. Environmental Safety

The right to adequate sanitation and hygiene, clean air and water, a stable climate, and protection from hazardous chemicals, soil contamination, and dangerous levels of radiation are basic human rights that have been denied to so many. 

This denial of basic environmental rights has dire consequences. According to WHO, “24% of all estimated global deaths are linked to the environment.” For example, 3.8 million people die every year from household air pollution, and “91% of the world’s population live in places where [outside] air pollution levels exceed WHO guideline limits.”

Addressing these pressing issues, the Universal House of Justice, the global governing body of the Baha’i Faith, highlighted in a 2017 letter:

One of the most pressing problems of humanity in the current century is how a growing, rapidly developing, and not yet united global population can, in a just manner, live in harmony with the planet and its finite resources.

Certain biological realities present themselves when an organism negatively affects or exceeds the capacity of its ecosystem. The limited availability and inequitable distribution of resources profoundly impact social relations within and between nations in many ways, even to the point of precipitating upheaval and war.

“Local and national governments need to introduce policies and make investments that support cleaner transport, energy-efficient housing, power generation, industry and better municipal waste management,” wrote Dr. Maria Neira, the WHO Director for the Department of Public Health, Environmental and Social Determinants of Health. 

“But we can also lead change at community and individual level. This can include commitments to cycle or take public transport to work, when safe routes are available; to recycle waste or compost; or conserve water and energy at home and in the office. Strategies such as “pedibus” initiatives can encourage children to walk to school safely, and the creation of urban gardens can provide both healthy foods and venues for social interaction and physical activity.”

RELATED: 4 Benefits of Going Vegan for the World — and You

3. Financial Safety

Impoverished communities are the most vulnerable to environmental instability, enduring higher exposure to pollution, inadequate sanitation, and the growing threats of climate change. These challenges are compounded by widespread malnutrition and limited access to essentials like clean water, electricity, and basic healthcare. Sadly, more than 700 million people around the world live in extreme poverty, struggling to survive on less than $2.15 a day.

Baha’u’llah “admonished all that we must be the servants of the poor, helpers of the poor, remember the sorrows of the poor, associate with them; for thereby we may inherit the Kingdom of heaven.”

People who are financially secure have enough money to cover their expenses and meet their needs without fear of running out for retirement and possible emergencies. Financial safety and security include access to financial literacy, stable employment, fair wages, and protection from exploitation and financial abuse. If you’d like to learn more about the solutions that the Baha’i writings have offered to reduce the wealth gap, read my article, “How to Reduce the Wealth Gap — With Augusto Lopez-Claros.” 

Most of those living in extreme poverty are people of color. Not only do they lack financial safety, but they also don’t experience social safety.

RELATED: Reducing Poverty Amongst Marginalized Women and Communities

4. Social Safety

Social safety ensures that individuals feel included and respected within a society and involves protection from discrimination, exclusion, and exploitation based on social identity, such as race, gender, and class. 

Ask yourself: Can women be safe from sexist comments and actions in your presence? Can people of color be safe from racial microaggressions and macroaggressions in your community? We can socially safeguard others by advocating for social justice and fostering just, supportive, and inclusive communities.

As the Universal House of Justice wrote in a 2020 letter to the Baha’is of the United States:

We ardently pray that the American people will grasp the possibilities of this moment to create a consequential reform of the social order that will free it from the pernicious effects of racial prejudice and will hasten the attainment of a just, diverse, and united society that can increasingly manifest the oneness of the human family.

5. Spiritual Safety

“One of the forms of prejudice which afflict the world of mankind is religious bigotry and fanaticism. When this hatred burns in human hearts, it becomes the cause of revolution, destruction, abasement of humankind and deprivation of the mercy of God,” said Abdu’l-Baha at a talk in Colorado in 1912.

Because of religious bigotry, hundreds of millions of people around the world are denied spiritual safety. A  just, diverse, and united society would allow everyone the freedom to express, explore, and practice their spiritual or religious beliefs without fear of persecution, coercion, and discrimination. We can spiritually safeguard others by promoting religious freedom and creating interfaith fellowships and dialogues to enhance mutual understanding.

6. Emotional Safety

Emotional safety is crucial for fostering mutual understanding, trust, and intimacy. It is the assurance that one can express their feelings, thoughts, and vulnerabilities without fear of judgment, betrayal, rejection, or ridicule. This freedom to be authentic, without having to mask one’s emotions and put up guards, is a vital aspect of mental health.

We can emotionally safeguard others by cultivating inclusive, respectful, trustworthy, and compassionate spaces, practicing active and empathetic listening, validating others’ feelings and diverse experiences to foster a sense of security and belonging, and implementing conflict resolution strategies that prioritize understanding and reconciliation.

7. Psychological Safety

People who are denied psychological safety don’t have that freedom to express their perspectives. Psychological safety involves creating an environment where individuals feel safe to voice their thoughts, perceptions, and opinions without fear of retribution, humiliation, isolation, or manipulation.

RELATED: Spiritual Clarity to Resist the Different Types of Gaslighting

We can psychologically safeguard others by creating safe spaces that encourage honest, open communication without the risk of being subjected to gaslighting, mind games, and other forms of psychological abuse — abuse that is prevalent in physical and digital spaces.

8. Cyber Safety

As people spend more and more of their time online, cyber safety has become increasingly important. Cyber safety involves protecting individuals from online threats such as identity theft, cyberbullying, catfishing, online predators, privacy breaches, and exposure to harmful and inappropriate content.

We can safeguard others in this way by implementing privacy protections, using security tools, and educating people about cybersecurity and positive, healthy, appropriate, and safe online behavior.

9. Medical Safety

Last but not least, medical safety ensures access to quality healthcare and protecting individuals from medical errors, unsafe treatments, and inadequate health services. This includes the right to receive proper medical care, accurate diagnoses, and effective treatments while being safeguarded from harm and medical racism within the healthcare system. 

For example, according to the CDC, “Black women are three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than White women,” and “more than 80% of pregnancy-related deaths in the U.S. are preventable.” 

RELATED: How to Reduce Black Maternal Mortality in the U.S.

As we care for humanity and safeguard our most vulnerable populations, let’s remember these nine different types of safety. By prioritizing financial, emotional, social, environmental, spiritual, psychological, cyber, medical, and physical safety, we can better ensure the well-being of both ourselves and others.


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