Understanding Discrimination Against Native Americans

In modern day America, a country founded on equality and strongly opposed against racial discriminations, Native Americans are racially discriminated against on a daily basis. Their valued heritage and identities are used as sports team mascots. This inhumane practice of publicly humiliating a certain ethnicity in modern day America needs to be put to and end. Native Americans are obligated to be treated as Americans and as humans. No person or ethnic group should experience the pain of being humiliated in public due to their identity, heritage or culture.

The use of Native American sports team mascots is not America's latest practice. Native American sports team mascots have been used since the early 20^th century without considerate thought of Native Americans. In 1960, the use of Native American images as sports team mascots finally became controversial along with the civil rights movement (Issues and Controversies on File, 2002, p.3). Since then the use of numerous Native American sports team mascots have been eliminated from various schools throughout America. However, today, despite the efforts to eliminate the use of all Native American sports team mascots, Native Americans' cultures and identities are in continued use as sports team mascots throughout several American schools and professional sports teams. This controversial issue has multiple supporters along with various opponents