For #NativeAmericanHeritageMonth, we spent time talking to some of our Native American members of the Rutgers community about their heritage. Meet Dennis Martinez, an SAS student majoring in history and minor in anthropology. "Growing up, I was always curious about my ancestry. My parents come from Oaxaca, Mexico, a state that has one of the highest percentages of indigenous people in the country. However, what I learned growing up was that to be indigenous features was looked down upon in Mexico. I recall many instances in which words were thrown around, insulting words. You would hear things like “Cara de indio,” face of an Indian. It was like a taboo to be an indigenous Mexican and it was better to deny it in face of the prejudice. My father has never been shy about expressing his thoughts about our ancestry. I remember as a kid, him telling me tales about the Mexica, the great warriors who fought bravely against colonizers. He told me to be proud of our roots because we came from...