Native Americans haven’t had it easy since the advent of the US as a nation, and with the current crisis of the hostile political climate, things have gotten even harder for many. Obviously, discrimination has always been a huge problem, but even seemingly minor inconveniences can really mess with a person’s stress levels. One Native American mother and law student in Great Falls, Montana, shares her predicament dealing with Target employees who refused to accept her government-issued Blackfeet Tribal ID.
The mother, Evening NightGun, had gone to Target to return some items, but the workers told her, “We don’t accept these here,” when she handed them her Tribal ID. Up until now, she claims to have never encountered any problems using her federally issued identification. “Out of all my 28 years of living, this was the first time someone has ever denied my identification card—the Blackfeet Tribal ID,” she said in disbelief.
Even the supervisor at the Target told NightGun that she wasn’t able to use her ID card. “It kind of ruined my whole shopping spree,” she told KRTV. “As a postpartum mom, that’s where we go for diapers and baby supplies. At that point, I couldn’t even shop. I just wanted to go home.”
When she shared her story back in January on TikTok, the comment section was filled with people showing their overwhelming support. “Argue the facts this is FEDERAL IDENTIFICATION it’s not something someone should back down from,” exclaimed one viewer. “Pretty sure that’s a lawsuit call a lawyer,” suggested another.
People on Reddit reading about this Native American mother’s plight shared their tales of how some employees in other States didn’t accept the ID from where they were from. For instance, one Alaskan man going to college on the East Coast had his ID denied when a liquor store worker told him that they don’t accept his “international driver’s license,” which was just his Alaskan driver’s license. “Imagine how Puerto Ricans and Samoans are treated,” remarked one Redditor.
In the end, it’s hard to know whether the Great Falls Target employees were discriminating against the mom, just ignorant, or simply too lazy to figure out how her Tribal ID works. Hopefully, Target does apologize and somehow compensates to make things right with her; otherwise, the Native American community isn’t going to let this one slide.
