Discrimination Against the Indigenous

             

Research:
The indigenous community across all continents are often forgotten and mistreated. Racism is a heavy topic today; however, racism against the indigenous seems to not be mentioned. For example, in Guatemala, the indigenous people of communities such as Akatek, Chuj, and Ixil experience discrimination within their own country on the basis of their skin color and language. A civil war beginning in the mid 50s and ending in 1996, was solely based on the hatred towards a community that simply wanted to belong. The U.S. and Guatemala were actively involved with the funding of a war committed to the exile of the indigenous. Hundreds were either murdered, evicted, raped, assaulted, and the list goes on. The result of this war was the greatest example of putting a band-aid over a bullet wound. A peace treaty was signed in 1996, in this treaty Clinton simply gave Guatemalans legal residency in the United States. This allowed residents to enter a country that once funded their own government to conduct a genocide. With Guatemala in mind, this immense discrimination against the indigenous is a worldwide issue in countries such as Philippines, South Africa, India, and China.

Personal:
As a dual citizen of the United States and Guatemala, I feel this has affected me first hand. Although I am not of indigenous descent, the people of my country are experiencing racism and discrimination by their own people. There is enough tragedy and confusion going on everyday in our world, the last thing we need is someone expressing internalized racism when racism of all forms is so present. I chose to do this topic because I feel it is important to touch on all forms of racism if a plan for change is going to be initiated. I believe there if awareness is brought to this topic, people will take the initiative to not only tolerate but accept all people who live in one's state, city, or village. As human beings, it is important to accept people of all walks o life, because we all positively contribute to society in our unique way. Coexisting will only empower our future generations and change the way people treat one another professionally and personally.

Testimony:

Rosa Sanchez, Age 63
Place of Birth: Quetzaltenango, Guatemala
Boyle Heights, CA
*DID NOT WANT TO BE PHOTOGRAPHED*

I come from a region in Guatemala where there is a large population of Indigenous communities. During my time there, I witnessed a number of Indigenous people being discriminated against. I remember walking home from school with a group of friends and as we passed a river that connected both sides of our pueblo, I looked over my shoulder to see three boys drowning a boy due to his Indigenous origin. From this point on, I realized that although this boy and I were both from this country, our language and skin color said otherwise. I felt ashamed because I felt like there was nothing I could do, even though I knew it was wrong. For the 22 years I lived in Guatemala, I saw forms of discrimination and racism towards the people of the Indigenous community. No-one ever seemed to understand that we were hurting our own people and the one's who spoke up to defend them were treated equally. To this day, I know forms of racism like the one's from my childhood still occur today. With all the hate surfacing our world, I don't doubt that it has gotten worse. I always think to myself, "What would my life be like if I was Indigenous and how would I cope with that?". I hope that one day all people in Guatemala, and around the world, can come together as one.

Side Note:
I found it very chilling to see how proud many people were proud of their roots; however, when it came to them being interviewed or photographed, many feared for their place in this country, as well as for their families.


Additional Information:

References:
“Indigenous peoples in Guatemala.” IWGIA, www.iwgia.org/en/guatemala.
“Timeline: Guatemala’s Brutal Civil War.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, 7 Mar. 2011,    www.pbs.org/newshour/health/latin_america-jan-june11-timeline_03-07.