Gyasi Ross facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Gyasi Ross
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Born | |
Nationality | American |
Alma mater | Columbia Law School |
Occupation | Speaker, storyteller, author, commentator, attorney, rapper |
Gyasi Ross is a talented person who does many things. He is an author, a lawyer, a rapper, and a speaker. He is also a great storyteller.
He has written two books. These are Don't Know Much About Indians (but I wrote a book about us anyways) and How to Say I Love You in Indian. Gyasi Ross also writes for popular websites. These include The Huffington Post and Indian Country Today.
Contents
About Gyasi Ross
His Family and Education
Gyasi Ross comes from the Blackfeet and Suquamish tribes. His family heritage is very important to him.
He went to many schools to get his education. He studied at two universities and two community colleges. He also attended two tribal colleges. After all this, he earned his first college degree. Later, he graduated from Columbia Law School. This is a very well-known law school.
Where He Lives
Gyasi Ross lives near Seattle, Washington. His home is on the Port Madison Indian Reservation. He is married to Miranda Belarde-Lewis. She is a professor at the University of Washington. They have three children together.
Important Topics and His Work
Speaking Up for Native Americans
Gyasi Ross often speaks about important issues for Native American people. One topic he discussed was the Washington Redskins name controversy. This was about the name of a sports team. Some people thought the name was offensive to Native Americans.
Some argued that Native Americans should focus on bigger problems. But Gyasi Ross said that people should not have to choose. He believes that fighting against unfair treatment is just as important as other social issues. He said, "Native people shouldn't be forced to choose between living or racial discrimination."
His Music and Views
In 2015, Gyasi Ross released his first spoken word album. It was called Isskootsik. This name means Before Here Was Here. You can find it on iTunes.
He also shared his thoughts on a song by another Seattle singer, Macklemore. The song was called "White Privilege II". Gyasi Ross felt that this song showed "White privilege." He believed that a white singer was speaking for minority groups. Instead, he thought, these groups should have the chance to speak for themselves. In response, Gyasi Ross released his own song called "White Privilege 3."
In 2016, he supported Bernie Sanders. Bernie Sanders was a candidate in the Democratic presidential primary elections.