Science wins! Sen. Warren’s DNA proves that she has not lied about her Native American ancestry! Tests have revealed that someone indigenous was in the Warren Family mix, some 6-10 generations ago.
Swell…
But that doesn’t change the way she has gone through life as a member of the privileged class, never facing discrimination on the basis of her racial heritage. It doesn’t change the fact that while she’s often touted her Native American identity, she has never been a part of that community — a community whose identity she has conveniently appropriated in order to raise her profile at Harvard and later in life (representing a cynical, culturally privileged way of burnishing the longtime Republican’s otherwise paper-thin liberal credentials).
In truth, Elizabeth Warren has never been an advocate for Native American interests and has not been a part of that community. She never stood with the Standing Rock Sioux as they put their bodies on the line in order to protect our nation’s drinkable water. And she’s backed conservative/corporatist politicians and policies that have devastated indigenous peoples and their resources.
Leaving the ugly, racist “Pocahantas” jeers of Trump and his ilk aside, here’s what an actual member of the Cherokee Nation has to say about Elizabeth Warren’s legitimacy on this subject:
“She was not a hero to me when she failed to foster a haven of support for Native students within Harvard University’s alienating Ivy League culture. She is not a hero for spending years awkwardly avoiding Native leaders. She is not a hero because, despite claiming to be the only Native woman in the U.S. Senate, she has done nothing to advance our rights.
“She is not from us. She does not represent us. She is not Cherokee.”
But don’t imagine that I don’t see the big picture: the important thing isn’t fair representation, potable water, and some measure of justice for Native Americans; the important thing is that DNA testing has made it possible for a warmongering, center-right fraud, Elizabeth Warren, to tell an obnoxious ape, Donald Trump, to STFU.
We can all sleep better tonight.