By Guest Contributor Migizi Pensoneau ICYMI, Harrodsburg, Kentucky decided it would be an awesome idea to host the 2nd Annual James Ray “Indian Attack” 5k. After folks were outraged, they posted the notice above, as well as a longer message on their Facebook page. This is Migizi’s response. To Whom It May Concern (really it concerns all of you), I’m …
Open letter to that celebrity that did that thing: Cultural appropriation Mad Libs
Dear <Company/Individual/Celebrity name>, Hey, you know that <noun> that you <verb, past tense> on/in <place> <timeframe>? While you might have thought it was <gerund*> to Native peoples, the reality is that it’s actually extremely <adjective> and <adjective>. There are over 566+ tribes in the United States, and the <noun> that you <verb, past tense> reduces us into a one dimensional stereotype …
Dear JK Rowling, I’m concerned about the American Wizarding School.
Dear JK Rowling, I am unabashedly a huge Harry Potter fan. I first encountered Harry when I was in Junior High, volunteering at the public library (nerd status, I know). The children’s librarian handed me book 1, and I was hooked. I even used to frequent Harry Potter message boards back in the day with my friend Kathleen (we were …
Drew Barrymore Sports a Headdress and a Budweiser Apron. Really.
Dear Drew Barrymore, You know what? You’re a pretty cool chick. You were in ET back when you were little and adorable, and I respect that movie for scarring me for life when I was young and impressionable. You’re a female producer, which is bad-ass. You donate lots of money to good causes, and you seem kinda nice in your …
Open Letter to the PocaHotties and Indian Warriors this Halloween
Dear Person that decided to dress up as an Indian for Halloween, I was going to write you an eloquent and well-reasoned post today about all the reasons why it’s not ok to dress up as a Native person for Halloween–talk about the history of “playing Indian” in our country, point to the dangers of stereotyping and placing of Native …