Gyasi Ross
Gyasi Ross | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Columbia Law School |
| Occupation(s) | Speaker, storyteller, author, commentator, attorney, rapper |
Gyasi Ross is a Blackfeet author, attorney, rapper, speaker and storyteller.[1] He is the author of two books Don't Know Much About Indians (but I wrote a book about us anyways) (2011)[2] and How to Say I Love You in Indian (2014) and he is a regular writer for Huffington post,[3] Gawker and Indian Country Today.
Life
He is a graduate of Columbia Law School.[4]
He lives on the Port Madison Indian Reservation near Seattle.
Issues
He has spoken out on Native American issues such as the Washington Redskins name controversy. In answer to the argument that Native Americans ought to focus on social issues larger than a team name, Ross stated that "Native people shouldn't be forced to choose between living or racial discrimination. Those are false binaries."[5][6]
In 2015, Ross released his first spoken word album titled Isskootsik, or Before Here Was Here, on Itunes.[7] Ross has prominently criticized another Seattle rapper, Macklemore for his song "White Privilege II", which he considers itself to be an example of White privilege, as Macklemore a White rapper takes the stage to speak on behalf of minorities, instead of giving them a chance to voice their own concerns. In response Ross published a song titled "White Privilege 3".[8][9] he has declared his support for Bernie Sanders in the 2016 Democratic presidential primary elections.[10]
Works
- Don't Know Much About Indians (but I wrote a book about us anyways), DKMAI, 2011, ISBN 9780983811800
- How to Say I Love You in Indian, Cut Bank Creek Press, 2013, ISBN 9780983811817
References
- ^ "Gyasi Ross". Cut Bank Creek Press Native American Indian books fiction Idle No More Gyasi Ross Winona LaDuke literature.
- ^ "Telling the small tales".
- ^ "Gyasi Ross".
- ^ I Love Ancestry. "Gyasi Ross, An Inspiring Writer, Attorney, Activist".
- ^ "The False Binary of the 'Redskins' Controversy". The Huffington Post. October 30, 2013.
- ^ Ross, Gyasi (2013-10-16). ""Redskins": A Native's Guide To Debating An Inglorious Word". Deadspin. Retrieved 2014-11-10.
- ^ Zangba Thomson. "Gyasi Ross set to release 'Before Here Was Here'". AXS.
- ^ "Gyasi Ross Schools Mackelmore: White Privilege, White Guilt, and the Role of White Allies". Indian Country Today Media Network.com.
- ^ "Ross, Gyasi - SpeakOut".
- ^ "Gyasi Ross: Why I Support Bernie Sanders & the #BlackLivesMatter Protesters Who Interrupted Him - Democracy Now!". Democracy Now!.