AI/AN Population
What the United States government has historically done to the American Indians is appalling. Since well before President Andrew Jackson’s despicable Trail of Tears, the United States has killed them, broken well-established treaties with them, ignored tribal boundaries, and betrayed them in many other egregious ways.
The long-term impact of this treatment is evident:
The median household income for non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaska Native households is $51,238, compared to $83,121 for non-Hispanic white households. 19.7 percent of non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaska Native families live in poverty, compared to 5.9 percent of non-Hispanic white families.
The unemployment rate for American Indians and Alaska Natives is 6.2 percent compared to 3.2 percent for whites.
American Indians and Alaska Natives households are 19 times as likely to not have indoor plumbing as white households.
American Indians and Alaska Natives born today have a life expectancy that is 5.5 years less than the U.S. all races population (73.0 years to 78.5 years, respectively). American Indians and Alaska Natives continue to die at higher rates than other Americans in many categories, including chronic liver disease and cirrhosis, diabetes mellitus, unintentional injuries, assault/homicide, intentional self-harm/suicide, and chronic lower respiratory diseases.
Suicide is the second leading cause of death for American Indians and Alaska Natives ages 10-34. These groups experience the highest youth suicide rate among all other races/ethnicities in the country.
American Indians/Alaska Natives are 50 percent more likely to experience the feeling that everything is an effort, all or most of the time, than non-Hispanic whites.
American Indians and Alaska Natives attend post-secondary education at a rate of 16.3 percent, compared to 60 percent among the total U.S. population.
Covid-19 ravaged the American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “In 23 states with sufficient Covid-19 patient race/ethnicity data, the overall Covid-19 incidence among AI/AN persons was 3.5 times that among white persons.” These populations were over four times more likely to be hospitalized because of Covid-19 and had higher rates of mortality at younger ages than the non-Hispanic white population.
But there is good news! In July 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a large portion of Tulsa and eastern Oklahoma was indeed the Muscogee Creek people’s land. This ruling confirmed that the Muscogee Creek people – and, as an extension, the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Seminole and other Nations – are indeed sovereign nations with sovereign territory.
In the majority opinion, Justice Neil Gorsuch, who broke ranks with his fellow conservatives, wrote: “On the far end of the Trail of Tears was a promise.” Beautifully said, Justice Gorsuch.