Prejudices Against Natives

My mother graduated from Alaska Pacific University with a degree in clinical
psychology. She worked a long time with Alzheimer’s patients, but the work was
very depressing and she thought that maybe pursuing a master’s and becoming a
LPC would give her access to different patients and more fulfilling work. She applied
for a Master’s at UAF and was granted an interview, she talked on the phone with
her interviewer and it seemed to go really well. Then she went to an in person
interview and as soon as he found out she was Native she was given notice that she
was no longer a potential for a masters at UAF. She was accepted to Berkeley’s
program a few weeks later and was complaining about this to her therapist at the
time (who little did she known was head of the Psychology department at UAF), and
he looked at her qualifications and research proposal and immediately talked to his
subordinate about why he did not accept this candidate who frankly told him it was
because she was Native.

- Posted on behalf of Aidan Hellen