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The one percent no one actually cares about, but should

US NEWS OBAMA-MCKINLEY AC
Mt. McKinley, or Denali, makes an appearance as a raven rides a light breeze on Jan. 28, 2013 at Point Woronzof in Anchorage, Alaska. President Obama will be renaming the mountain 'Denali.'

President Barack Obama took an unprecedented and unexpected trip to Alaska on Monday, announcing the renaming of Mt. McKinley, named after former President William McKinley. His announcement changed the mountain's name back to the original Mt. Denali, meaning “the great one” in native Athabaskan. The name change comes in order to better relations with Native Americans in the country, according to The Washington Post. I hate to break it to you Mr. President, but it’s too little too late.

When President Andrew Jackson evicted the Native American population in the U.S. in 1830 under the Indian Removal Act, he sent them to tiny reservations in the Midwest, West and Northwest to suffer and live on their own without the rights of American citizens despite their presence coming centuries prior to the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

The time for reconciliation was then, not now. Even giving Native Americans the right to vote in the 1960s was a futile effort. Currently the 562 federally recognized tribes only make up a little over one percent of the American population according to a report by Frontline, and not much of that population is of voting age. As a politician, why even bother? 

I mean no disrespect to Native Americans, but statistically they have no impact on elections whatsoever. Primarily because over the course of this country’s history, we have been shunning and failing to provide for the people who were here before us, inevitably causing the decrease in their population over the years. We have essentially manufactured the decimation of the once largest ethnic group in North America.

If you think about it, it may seem like Native Americans set themselves up for disaster by not evolving with us and choosing to stay behind in time. But if we’re supposed to respect other ethnic groups and their traditions, how come we didn’t do the same for them? So why don’t you think this decision through, Mr. President. 

Renaming the tallest peak in the U.S. back to its original name is not reconciliation for the torture and genocide committed against the Native Americans during the Trail of Tears. It most definitely will not help you and your party’s approval rating among a sliver of the least important and least cared about population of Americans.


Editor’s note: The opinions presented in this column are the author’s and do not imply any endorsement from The State Press or its editors.

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