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Being that the first day of May is in 35 days, which is American Indian month in Minnesota, it’s important to recognize how we can best support and understand Native American individuals.
As recently as last week, a school in Connecticut voted to discard their athletic team's name of “The Indians.” This school is near the Mohegan Tribe, which offered to help pay for the expenses due to the name change.
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To me, this shows how important this name change is to Native American individuals. An individual’s dignity is something that is important when it comes to their overall quality of life, so much so that social workers embed this understanding into their work.
Following along with the Social Work Code of Ethics, social workers take an oath on ways they can best support their clients. One is the ethical principle that “social workers respect the inherent dignity and worth of a person” (NASW Code of Ethics).
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Social workers exist to enhance social functioning and overall well-being. Changing an athletic team name to show respect to individuals within their community shows great recognition and integrity of an individual from society.
This is something that should continue within each and every community, as a way to create a healthy, safe environment for all.
