I am a community organizer for a grassroots organization serving the Tohono O’odham Nation, a Native American community that you’ve likely never heard of. My reservation is located in Arizona and is the size of Connecticut, but even most Arizonans are unaware of our existence. My organization, Indivisible Tohono, encourages civic engagement and education within the Tohono O’odham Nation, because O’odham voices have been largely disregarded and dismissed by the mainstream society. In short, we’re underrepresented in every way imaginable.
My work has pushed me to get more involved in the mainstream political arena. More and more I am finding myself in traditionally White spaces—board meetings, town halls, candidate forums, and Democratic Party meetings. I can also be found at protests and rallies, where I’m rubbing elbows with people I’d like to believe are like-minded.
But the sting of underrepresentation is ever-present and usually shows up in the form of microaggressions or unknowingly racist comments.
Source: 3 Things to Keep Me From Rolling My Eyes at Your White Privilege
