White Women Steal Stories
Title: This is Native American #19: White Women Steal Our Stories
Created: 2024
Medium: Graphic Design
Software: Adobe Illustrator CC
Dimensions: 36″x48″
Articles
“There had been accusations for at least 15 years that Andrea Smith, a prominent ethnic studies professor, had falsely claimed to be Native American. Her scholarship was partly built on what she said was her Cherokee identity, but she never publicly — and scholars and former friends say, privately — offered a detailed explanation for her Cherokee claims.
Now, after a recent complaint by 13 faculty members, Professor Smith has agreed to retire from the University of California, Riverside, next year in an unusual separation agreement.
Signed in January, the agreement avoids an investigation into the faculty complaint, which accused her of false claims of Native identity that violated academic integrity. And it allows the university to sidestep legal battles that often come from firing tenured professors.”
– The New York Times, Prominent Scholar Who Claimed to Be Native American Resigns
“Others, however, have called for her to resign or even to be fired.
Desi Small-Rodriguez, an assistant professor of sociology at the University of California, Los Angeles, and a Native American, said on Twitter, “Actually the opportunity to resign is not appropriate. Elizabeth Hoover has admitted to professional misconduct, research ethics violations, harming Native students & colleagues, & violating tribal research sovereignty! @UCBerkeley must fire Elizabeth Hoover immediately.”
Meredith Alberta Palmer, a postdoctoral fellow at Cornell University, said on Twitter, “All of her data was gathered under false pretenses for her entire career, and this is a blatant and basic research ethics violation. It makes no sense that a research institution like UC Berkeley would be comfortable keeping her employed.””
– Inside Higher Ed, Berkeley Professor Admits That She’s White
Prints
Download the 8.5″ x 11″ prints (.pdf), Print – White Women Should Not Steal Our Stories.
Download the 8.5″ x 11″ prints (.pdf), Print – White Men Should Not Steal Our Stories.
Close-Ups
Alternate Designs
This is Native America
This is Native America is a series of artworks by Ihanktonwan Dakota artist David Bernie that promotes issues and stories within Native American and First Nations communities.
Creative Commons License
This work by David Bernie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. You may download, share, and post the images under the condition that the works are attributed to the artist.
