American Apartheid: The Native American Struggle for Self-Determination and Inclusion

by Stephanie Woodard

The most comprehensive and compelling account of the issues and threats that Native Americans face today, as well as their heroic battle to overcome them.

In recent years, events such as the siege at Standing Rock and the Dakota Access pipeline have thrust the plight of Native Americans into the public consciousness. Taking us beyond the headlines, American Apartheid offers the most comprehensive and compelling account of the issues and threats that Native Americans face today, as well as their heroic battle to overcome them. Author Stephanie Woodard details the ways in which the federal government, states and counties curtail Native voting rights, which, in turn, keeps tribal members from participating in policy-making surrounding education, employment, rural transportation, infrastructure projects and other critical issues affecting their communities. This system of apartheid has staggering consequences, as Natives are, per capita, the population group that is most likely to be shot by police, suffer violent victimization by outsiders, be incarcerated, and have their children taken away. On top of this, indigenous people must also fight constantly to protect the sacred sites and landscapes that hold their cultural memories and connect their spirituality to the nation’s mountains, plains, waterways and coastlines. Despite these many obstacles, American Apartheid offers vivid pictures of diverse Native American communities that embody resilience, integrity, and the survival of ancient cultures.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Indigenous, Politics, The United States Of America, Native Americans, Race

264 pages, Paperback

Published June 5, 2018

About the author

For nearly two decades, Stephanie Woodard has reported on Indian country for publications including Native-owned Indian Country Media Network and In These Times, where she is a contributing writer for its Rural America website, along with Yes!, billmoyers.com, Huffington Post, Preservation, and Saveur. In hundreds of widely cited articles, she has covered Native American voting rights, crime, sacred sites, food, gardening, health, child welfare, economic development, and other subjects. The numerous awards she has received include the Richard LaCourse Award for Investigative Reporting, the top annual prize of the Native American Journalists Association, where she is an associate (non-Native) member. The Fund for Investigative Journalism and George Polk Center for Investigative Reporting are among the major journalism organizations that have supported her work.

Reviews

[The Geeky Bibliophile · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've always loved learning about Native American tribes and cultures, but most of that learning was about the past, rather than the present. The protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline led by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe remained in my thoughts long after the protest came to an end, and I wanted to learn more about the modern-day struggles of the various Tribes—not an easy task, given the lack of adequate (if any) media coverage on anything of importance related to Native Americans. So when I saw this book, I was eager for the opportunity to learn more about the issues faced by the Tribes, and began reading it as soon as possible.

The book consists of six chapters, focusing on a selection of issues. These issues include:


*poverty and the lack of economic opportunity on reservations
*voting rights (including easy access to polling places, translators, etc.)
*land rights (including the preservation of sacred sites), and the way Native concerns for the land are typically ignored in favor of money-making opportunities that benefit non-Natives
*police shootings resulting in the deaths of Natives, and unfair justice practices applied only to Natives
*the removal of Native children from their parents and the devastating effects it continues to have (from boarding schools to foster home placements and adoptions to non-Native families)
*the importance of traditional ways, their connection to the land/water, and passing their traditional ways on to younger generations

I was expecting to learn things that were disheartening (to say the least), but I couldn't have foreseen the level of outrage I felt upon reading this book. I was well aware of the way the federal government often disregards what is in the best interests of the Tribes, but the lengths officials were willing to go to in order to do what they wanted, and to hinder the Tribes when something became a legal matter, was staggering.

Much of the information in this book was upsetting to me, particularly having to do with Native children who were forcibly taken from their families for no reason. As a mother myself, I can't imagine such a horrific thing happening. It was equally difficult to read about the men and women who were killed by police (again, without reason), and the devastation their loved ones were forced to endure as a result. A particularly distressing story was about Jeanette Riley, a 36 year old pregnant woman who was mentally ill and threatening suicide. The police were called, and shortly after they arrived, she was shot and killed. (The shooting was later ruled as "justified" in this case.)

Distressing portions aside, reading about the connection Natives feel with the land and water was beautiful. I was particularly interested in reading about the ancestral Pueblo gardens in New Mexico, which were constructed in such a way as to preserve moisture in the soil—which is quite important in an arid climate. Another enjoyable story was about a Shoshone grandfather teaching his seven-year-old grandson about flintknapping (shaping stone into a useful object) as they sit in an area located in their ancestral homelands.

This review cannot begin to detail everything in this book. What I've shared above is but a snippet from the wealth of information it contains.

If you're interested in current social issues regarding Native American tribes, I'm sure you'll find this book as fascinating as I did. I feel this is an important work that will enable people to learn about and understand the struggles Tribes are still dealing with in the 21st century, and I highly recommend it!

I received an advance review copy of this book courtesy of Ig Publishing via Edelweiss.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a concise, knowledgeable and respectful portrait of the history, current status and struggles of Native peoples in the U.S. by Stephanie Woodard, a journalist who has reported for almost 20 years on these topics when major news outlets did not.

"Tribal communities are set apart from the rest of us geographically, socially, politically and economically." This is no accident, writes Woodard, but the result of federal policies over two centuries. "If a tribe wants to build a housing development or protect a sacred site, if a tribal member wants to start a business or plant a field, a federal agency can modify or scuttle the plans. Conversely, if a corporation or other outside interest covets reservation land or resources, the federal government becomes an obsequious bondservant, helping the non-Native entity get what it wants at bargain-basement prices." She shows how Native people are more likely to receive severe sentences for minor crimes, suffer police brutality and have their children taken from them by the courts. Wealth is drained away from reservation lands by outsiders, while "the reservations themselves act as giant funnels, pouring federal benefits and business earnings into state and regional economies." Though she does not gloss over what Native Americans have lost and still suffer, Woodard also shows the resilience of their cultures, and the organizations and individuals who strive to defend and build up their communities

[Bookworm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was intrigued by the title and was curious to read what it said on the title. The country known as the "United States" was built on land that was stolen from Native people. How has the country treated Native peoples since then and how have they fared since then?

Woodard takes the reader through various issues, problems and conflicts. You might know of Standing Rock, but are you aware that oil, gas and other similar industries have been doing the same since forever? You may know of migrant children separated from their families today, but were you aware that this has been an ongoing event in US history, with one example of Native children being sent to boarding schools and forcibly separated from their families, culture and even language?

You've likely heard of these things but Woodard takes us a little deeper. Unfortunately I thought overall it was a tough read. The topic was interesting and I have some prior knowledge but it's not surprising to see she's a journalist. It felt like a bunch of newspaper long-reads strong together into chapters. Additional editing would have gone a long way for me.

Still, don't let you put that off. It's definitely worth reading if you've got interest (and even if you don't!). Would recommend that you have other sources on hand, even like Wikipedia since it can help give you a little more context or at least other places to look if you're not familiar with that government agency or name, etc.

Library borrow was best for me.

[stinky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this book up at my local library, and i've got to be honest I was slightly apprehensive about a non-Native journalist being the author, but after few pages that doubt was put to rest. This was a detailed, empathetic account of Indigenous people - both their struggle against racist laws and attitudes, and their triumph in embracing and passing on their cultures to the next generation. The book strongly centered Native perspectives in each chapter without outside interjections from the author.
The only real note that I have is that there was a page or two talking about the Native Lives Matter slogan from 2014 directly inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, and while the the sentiment and purpose behind the slogan is important, it didn't need to repurpose BLM, because it's ultimately just appropriating a term that was specifically coined to address antiblackness and police brutality.

[Jojo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprise, surprise: the country that was founded on the mass genocide of its native people still treats those people like utter trash. Anyway I believe this book was referred to in Winter Counts as a book to read if you wanted to learn more about Native American/Indian struggles and after reading that book, I was interested to learn more because I feel like I really didn't know much and I don't think most people do. This book was eye opening and I fully believe it should be read by everyone. It is more relevant than ever particularly when you have record number of voting bills being passed on the basis of "voting integrity"...so many people (and particularly republican politicians) should be REQUIRED to read this, specifically the chapter about voting. This was well written and educational and I highly recommend it.
Grade: A

[Greyson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A broad, journalistic account detailing a number of modern Native issues: land rights/eminent domain, election and voting rights, MMIWG, police brutality, and a final chapter on various Indigenous ways of knowing. Seems largely repurposed from her earlier writing as a correspondent reporting on Native concerns. Ideal audience for this one is probably an "Intro to" undergrad or high school course, but even then it would be best to promote AI/AN writers rather than rely on a second-hand account. Primary focus on the lower-48, particularly Standing Rock and reservations in the central southwest.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not sure the title was a good description of the content of the book; the subtitle is more accurate. Nonetheless, this was an interesting read, and I learned a lot about the many factors that Native American communities struggle with including paternalistic and unfair Bureau of Land Management practices, disproportionate impact of criminal justice system, voting access, children being removed from homes, and more.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of ways the government (federal, states) still screwing over the Native American people. She didn't give ideas for regular folks to help change things other than to stand with the Native Americans like at Standing Rock.

[Sylvia Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even though there were some redundancies, I am giving this book five stars because it has so much information that all Americans should know about injustices. The chapter on voting was especially illuminating.

[John Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Doesn't cover much new ground, but does a nice job of juxtaposing the various ways the law segregates Native Americans with contemporary efforts to combat the abuses.

[Mariel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very comprehensive look at all the facets of Native American/Indigenous life here in the US. A valid introduction to building my knowledge on Native issues.

[joan b · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative, incredibly well researched.

[Carol Tilley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essential reading.