November marks Native American Heritage Month, a time to recognize the culture, history, and achievements of Native American people. Like other cultural months, four weeks alone are not enough to center the experiences of a community that has been systematically, historically, and persistently harmed and disenfranchised.
The global struggle that Indigenous peoples have been engaged in for centuries can teach us important lessons about White Supremacy Culture (WSC) and how its violent, oppressive, and hateful foundation has shaped the world – including the workplace.
Global Oppression of Indigenous Communities
It’s impossible to have this conversation about the erasure of Native people when the people indigenous to Palestine are being annihilated off of their own land in a genocide that has been happening for more than a year. Palestine teaches us that anti-Indigenous sentiments run deep and are global in scope. Uprooting this harmful sentiment begins with acknowledging this history and how anti-Indigenous sentiment is embedded in all areas of life.
Symbolic, yet empty gestures
2020 brought an unsustained awakening and temporary unveiling of the ways that WSC is still manifesting and thriving in the workplace. With that time came an uptick of companies and universities forming land acknowledgement statements, in an attempt to address how their existence came to be at the genocide of Natives.
These symbolic gestures do little to shift the lived experiences of Native people, or their treatment in corporate spaces. And for Native women, we know that experience is amplified. Native women are paid just $0.60 for every dollar that White, non-Hispanic men make on an annual basis. Land acknowledgements may signal a company’s virtues externally, but without the infrastructure and care to support the Native women working there, they are null and void.
White Supremacy Culture thrives on tokenism and superficiality—making it easy to substitute real action with feel-good optics. To disrupt this cycle, we must prioritize systemic change over symbolic acts. That means actively working to dismantle power structures that keep Native and Indigenous people at the margins and implementing policies that amplify their voices and contributions in meaningful ways.
In the workplace, this can look like creating pathways for growth, leadership, and influence for Native women. Companies must also ensure that the policies they enact—such as those related to workplace harassment, pay equity, and benefits—explicitly address their unique challenges.
Erasure and Invisibility
So much of the DEI movement over the past few years has focused on building opportunities for Black and Brown women to be and feel seen, without addressing or fixing the underlying causes that contribute to their erasure in the first place. And for Indigenous and Native American women, this is especially so.
The erasure of Indigenous and Native American women even from the DEI movement itself and in spaces that would otherwise be for Black and Brown women is more than just an oversight. It’s a systemic practice that’s been happening for centuries, ultimately leaving Native women out of leadership opportunities in the workforce.
Native women erasure is why most people have been educated little to none about the history of this community, and thus find it acceptable to exclude them from corporate spaces. It’s critical for companies that are invested in DEI work to recognize this history and own the ways that it may be playing out within their own teams.
The Importance of Accountability
DEI work is often framed as a journey, but too often, organizations stay stuck at the starting line. This inertia stems from a reluctance to face uncomfortable truths about complicity in systems of oppression. A genuine commitment to Native women’s inclusion requires not only recognizing the systemic barriers they face but also holding ourselves accountable for breaking those barriers down.
Accountability is more than numbers—it’s also about creating a culture of trust and respect. That means involving the voice of Native women in decision-making processes, funding Indigenous-led initiatives, and consulting with Native professionals when shaping DEI strategies.
At ShiftED Consulting, we help companies navigate the complexities of DEI with a lens that centers historically excluded communities, including Native and Indigenous people.
This Native American Heritage Month, don’t stop at acknowledgment—commit to transformation. Let’s work together to create workplaces that don’t just include Native voices but honor and elevate them.
Ready to make a lasting impact? Schedule a consultation with ShiftED Consulting today.
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