Fifteenth International Conference on Interdisciplinary Social Sciences

Abstract

Colorism has adversely affected students of color in a public education setting. Native American students are often suspended due to cultural and ethnic differences. Colorism is not unique to indigenous cultures. However, the power dynamics associated with years of repression by Whites and the multiple identities of American Indian/Alaska Native (AIAN) people contribute to negative outcomes in schools and the criminal justice system. Colorism has been a systemic problem since the colonists arrived in the New World. Color was used to subjugate people of color. People with dark skin were deemed inferior by Europeans. AIAN people were not only darker skin. They represented an unknown culture, spoke different languages and religions. According to National Congress of American Indians, indigenous youth are 1.5 times more likely than white youth to have contact with the criminal justice system. In public schools AIAN students are more likely to suspended than their peers with the exception of African American students. According to the U.S. Department of Education (2014), Native Americans make up 1% of the U.S. school population. However, they account for 2 percent of all incidents referred by school staff to law enforcement. The study revealed that expulsion rate for Native American boys in California was 4.2 times the state average, which is the highest of any ethnic or gender group. Colorism, racism, and ethnocentrism have contributed to a failure to contribute adequate education for AIAN students despite legislation and policies which require equal access to education.