Copyright © 1999 NLThomas
All Rights Reserved

The Minnesota Advisory Committee to the United States Civil Rights Commission heard testimony from the Native American community members residing in the City of Moorhead, Minnesota.

They told the stories of victimization of their children while going to school in the Moorhead School District and while living in Moorhead. Discrimination and harassment of the native students attending a Moorhead Public School was cited as being a constant situation.

Pam Renville, a parent of a twelve year daughter who attended a Moorhead Junior High School testified that her daughter was being harassed by a non-Indian girl and when her daughter finally rebelled to the harassment, the school punished her daughter instead.

In her testimony, she also mentioned that her daughter was placed under arrest and handcuffed by the police and spent the night in jail and appeared before the Judge the next morning.

According to Renville, she said that her daughter was charged with two simple assaults and one disorderly conduct and the States Attorney wanted to keep her in jail for fear that Renville's daughter will be a threat to the non-Indian girl.

The daughter was released under house arrest for a period of time until she appear in court for the second time and was given six months for good behavior. Meanwhile, the non-Indian girl who harassed Renville's daughter was not punished for her involvement in the incident.

Pam Renville testified that what was done to her daughter was unfair and is seeking some form of justice for her daughter.

Theodora Menge, a member of the White Earth Ojibwe Nation also testified about how her family faced harassment, discrimination and racism in the Fargo-Moorhead area. "As a low income Native American I run into opinions from people who think I am uneducated or have bad habits like drinking, bar hopping or they make slurs on my virtue or my parenting skills."

Menge also testified concerning one of her son's who faced some harassment from non-Indian kids who called him names and slapped him in the back of the head. She said that both boys were taken to the office and the other boy was sent back to class and a discussion developed about the incident with the vice-principal and he was under the impression that Menge's son was the culprit.

The focus of the testimony by Menge also highlights the stereotypes, assumptions many people have about minorities when doing the same things as white people.

I, Harold Iron Shield, testified as a worker in the Moorhead community and gave testimony regarding incidents that were given to me over the phone or written by those who were aware of the incidents. One incident involved a Native American couple who every morning burned sage for a time of prayer to start the day.

This was a daily routine and finally neighbors in the apartment building complain that the couple had been smoking pot and told the landlord who then accused them of the same thing.

The Native American couple tried to explain that the smell of sage when burned has a similar smell to pot. After numerous attempts of explanations the landlord issued an eviction notice. This incident is blamed on cultural insensitivity and the unwillingness to listen.

Another incident that was cited is becoming suspects in businesses that we enter as minorities. Being followed around by store workers who go undercover to make sure we don't shoplift or steal merchandise from their business.

A school incident in Moorhead where a young Native American boy had his braids cut off by non-Indian students. And the young Native American student was suspended from school over the incident.

With all of the testimony given in the two day period, it makes me question the value of cultural diversity and it's effectiveness in the Fargo-Moorhead area. Racism is still here in many of the businesses, Police Department, City Government and the School District as we heard the testimonies and conflicts presented to the Advisory Commission for the United States Commission on Civil Rights.

As testimony was given those who spoke out about the unwanted conflicts become victimized as troublemakers in the city of Moorhead. It's not taken as a concern in the community. Instead, it gets misinterpreted.

Lastly, my own testimony called for an understanding, a true understanding that we the people that come from various tribal nations carry the burden of our forefathers as we attempt to live amongst those who hate us. That is a dishonor to our existence.