Belau Bekiis (Wake up Palau)

Just by Googling “Native American vote 2020,” it becomes obvious that the erasure of the Indigenous populations of America is still underway. CNN had a graphic that labeled Natives “Something Else.” The irony of the graphic is that they clearly labeled Asian voters, who are at 3 percent, and neglected to do the same for Native Voters, who made up a higher percentage.

It made me wonder if it was just a simple error or if it was something more nefarious. Maybe it was a mistake by a new intern. Well, after digging a little deeper, it seems that the network hasn’t even apologized for the graphic. The only things I could find that come close to an apology are a Twitter post that doesn’t link anywhere, and an email from a network VP of communications to a Canadian media outlet.

A blatant example of Native Erasure #SomethingElse

Tweet

Now, why would they issue an apology to Indigenous voters in the U.S. at a Canadian outlet? This is a blatant example of Native erasure. Acknowledging that Indigenous people make up 6% of voters would unravel the idea of the “extinct Indian.” Maybe that’s why they felt the need to label Native voters “Something Else.”

Featured Image from Twitter