Skip to main content

UW-Madison professors report Native American discrimination still present today

Two UW-Madison professors are spotlighting what they call ‘Indigenous Activism.’ The professors spoke about issues the Native American community have been addressing, both past and present.

The fight for the rights of Indigenous Nations and their people was spotlighted at the 2021 UW-Madison Diversity Forum.

Professor Sasha Suarez described shocking stereotypes heard by Native Americans who applied for jobs in recent past — right here in the Midwest. She uncovered those reports during research for her doctorate degree, “Multiple bosses didn’t want to hire and fire [Native Americans] because they were ‘flighty’ and ‘drunk.’”

We asked her how she felt when she discovered that. She replied, “It wasn’t unexpected, but it was hard to read.”

Her colleague Kasey Keeler highlighted the struggle for affordable housing, even after World War II, “For the native veterans where applying for the G.I. Bill — a lot of them were shot down because of racism.”