I think that we often are blinded by the fact that racist and prejudices ideas form in our brain without thought, developing over time until at some point that thought bares its ugly teeth and we realise we have somehow developed these thoughts through our observations and stories we have been told.
I recently read an article written by Crystal EchoHawk intitled Stolen land, Stolen Bodies, and Stolen Stories In this article EchoHawk describes the systemic racism that exists when it comes to Indigenous peoples, arguing that "When real Native people are invisible in the media, false narratives and toxic stereotypes are the average American’s only exposure to Native realities" (EchoHawk). This semester I have been consumed by this idea of narratives shaping one’s perceptions and actions, particularly in regard to racism. Looking back at my life I can see the effects that narratives have had and the way they shape the way I look at different cultures. Even 12 years after moving away from Cardston I head home and still see the way that false or rather perceived narratives continue to damage relationships and create feelings of contempt and distaste for communities that are literally across the street from each other. This is not something that is just happening in Cardston but is taking place all over the world.
Something that I had not considered until reading EchoHawk's article is how even if a story goes untold or unrecognized it still is part of the countries construct and identity, that story just hasn’t yet been brought to light yet. This idea of untold stories reminded me of this summer when many in Canada were drawn together in mourning by a narrative that had gone untold, a narrative of indigenous children being buried in mass graves at residential schools across Canada. This untold or rather ignored story has been living under the surface of Canadian history for years but yet even though it was unheard it was there waiting to be revealed/acknowledged. It is these untold stories that hide “real” Indigenous people while the told, perceived, false stories shape the worlds identity of what an Indigenous person is. Anyways this is a great article and I would highly recommend giving it a read if you get the chance, as it ties in well with the discussions we have had all semester.

EchoHawk, Crystal. “Stolen land, Stolen Bodies, and Stolen Stories.” Stanford Social Innovation Review, 2021, https://ssir.org/articles/entry/stolenlandstolenbodiesandstolenstories#.