Introduction: Jesse Patt

Hi, my name is Jesse Patt, and I am a senior and creative writing major from Memphis, Tennessee. I am especially interested in things like cars and sci-fi, but also value my studies. I really love to read books, write screenplays, and take walks, and it is always fun for me to learn new things. In this course, I hope to learn more about indigenous people and how to respectfully treat them based on their modern history. I want to make sure I understand the struggles they go through and how deep racism is embedded in American history. My interest was piqued after one of my submissions for a play was rejected because I made a Native American character speak without contractions, unaware that was considered an offensive stereotype. I want to try better and understand them as people, so I can avoid making these mistakes in the future, and also because I enjoy learning about history too, and felt it was something missing from my Knox education. I’m eager to learn how Indigenous people have kept their culture alive despite how their have been attempts to assimilate them. I previously took a class on the history of social justice last year, and also learned about the fact that there were indeed queer Native Americans, which I find really interesting. It definitely goes to show they are people just like everyone else. In history classes in high school, though, their was often a bias in the history textbooks I read, with Native Americans portrayed as “enemies” and disappearing after a while. I want to know and understand their side of the story.