VIEWPOINT: Omdahl should reassess measures of success
By Stacy L. Leeds
http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforksherald/news/opinion/5545875.htm
GRAND FORKS - y}By Stacy L. Leeds

After teaching my "Remedies" class at the UND law school Monday, I returned to
my office to read the Grand Forks Herald editorial page. You can imagine my
relief when, upon reading Lloyd Omdahl's column, "Time for a Native billionaire"
, I was reassured that there are Native Americans who have as much stamina,
imagination and genius as blacks.

I had to check the date of the newspaper to make sure it said 2003 and not 1953.

I mean no disrespect to Omdahl. I am sure he is a nice man who means no
intentional harm to the Indian community. However, his instructions to
reservation leaders that they "let go of their youth" and "encourage them to
rise to new levels of achievement" is misplaced, uninformed and at best,
paternalistic.

He insightfully instructs us, as if the opposite is occurring, that "Native
American children ought to be encouraged to aspire to excellence." I know of no
community that has tried harder than the American Indian community to encourage
success among its existing and future generations. Perhaps the real difference
is how we measure that success.

I will start by conceding three points to Omdahl. We do have one black
billionaire (Oprah Winfrey), one black U.S. Secretary of State (Colin Powell)
and several black athletes who appear to be "rapidly taking over basketball,
football and baseball."

But if it took the United States over 200 years to create one black billionaire
and two black cabinet members, then is it really safe to conclude that "blacks
chose different paths" than did Native Americans? Have blacks really "stopped
focusing on past grievances" and "chosen to join the Anglos" and other
minorities in the battle up the success ladder, while Native Americans simply
denied themselves this because of their attitudes and preferred geography?

Omdahl presumes that the only racism in our society is a mere "remnant" of the
past. The tone of his column reveals the contrary, but in all fairness, is
consistent with the dominant perspective on race relations throughout our
history.

There's only been one American Indian tenure-track faculty member in the history
of UND law school. There has never been an African-American on the law faculty.
Does one Native American on the law faculty prove that racism is now dead in
Grand Forks? Does the lack of black faculty on campus suggest that most
African-Americans, unlike the superstars mentioned, need to "shake off the
shackles of paranoia that have hounded them since the dark days of their
victimization"?

Or might the possibility exist that American society has a very long way to go
to reach equality of opportunity?

Omdahl concludes his column by saying it is "time for Native Americans to honor
themselves by providing more secretaries of state, legislators, business
executives and civic leaders." I concede that no Indian has been the secretary
of state. But Omdahl overlooks the numerous Indian people who serve as federal,
state, and tribal lawmakers, doctors, lawyers, and business executives.

More important, he fails to attribute any success to the extraordinarily
disproportionate number of Indian men and women who serve the United States
armed forces. Public service, responsibility to community and integrity are all
measures by which success is gauged. Perhaps, many people would be honored to
see their children become billionaires. I will be honored if my children can
grow up in a community that does not repeatedly purport to tell them by what
means they should be honored.

Leeds is a law professor at UND and an associate justice with the Cherokee
Nation Supreme Court.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
REFERENCE ORIGINAL ARTICLE:
Opinion: Don't confine Indian youth to reservation
MONDAY, MARCH 31, 2003
http://www.indianz.com/News/show.asp?ID=2003/03/31/omdahl

"Some Native Americans are hanging their economic dreams on casinos.
Casinos may provide jobs for today's adults but they have nothing to offer
young people who have the skills to become doctors, lawyers, engineers
and professionals in business, government and sports.

To their credit, more and more Native Americans are escaping the confines
of reservations and taking up challenges in numerous fields of endeavor. But
too many are still isolated where they miss the opportunities being seized
by other minorities. To capture success, they must take a fresh look at
themselves and the world that is passing them by.

Their first challenge is to shake off the shackles of paranoia that have
hounded them since the dark days of their victimization. While their feelings
are justified, reliving old grievances will not lead to building new futures.
Dwelling on old wrongs produces nothing but debilitating anger and no
progress.

Reservation leaders would do well to acknowledge that they have
youngsters with skills beyond those than can be fully utilized in the
geographic confines of reservations. Not only should they let go of their
youth but they should also encourage them to rise to new levels of
achievement, on or off the reservation."

Get the Story:
COLUMNIST LLOYD OMDAHL: Time for a Native billionaire (The Grand Forks Herald
3/31)
http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforksherald/news/opinion/5521679.htm

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