There is no defending the recently revealed racist, violent and homophobic messages that were sent by members of the Kansas Young Republicans to their counterparts throughout the country.

And while the Kansas Republican Party very clearly denounced the hate speech used by its Young Republican members, their words fall flat and seem disingenuous to many of us Native Americans who make up the four federally recognized tribes in Kansas.

Why? Because these are the same party leaders who stood silent when Republican state Rep. John Wheeler tarnished a historic moment — the first time a Native American legislator presided over the Kansas House of Representatives.

As state Rep. Dr. Ponka-We Victors-Cozad gaveled in the session, Rep. Wheeler made a comment about “checking to see if that was a tomahawk” in her hand, mocking this milestone with a racist stereotype.

The same leaders stood silent when Randy Watson, Kansas commissioner of education, publicly retold stories of how he warned his family from California not to worry about tornadoes, “You’ve got to be worried about the Indians raiding the town at any time.”

Language like this perpetuates dangerous stereotypes that paint Native people as violent threats.

It’s time to demand more of our leaders. True leaders must show us they have the moral fortitude and character to denounce all displays of racism — including toward our Native communities.

I’m a U.S. Army Veteran who honorably served our country for 13 years. I’m proud to be from Kansas, but I’m ashamed that those in power don’t call out all forms of racism because by staying silent, they’re emboldening behavior that erases our culture and minimizes our worth.

Many Native American communities are still recovering from the injustices that occurred on our land two centuries ago and haunt us today. Native youths have a suicide rate that is 2.5 times higher than the overall national average and the highest of any ethnic group in the United States.

This devastating statistic is attributed to historical disenfranchisement through genocide and institutional racism, cultural disconnection, alienation and pressure to assimilate away from Native culture and identity.

There should be no tolerance for discriminatory language and actions against those of us whose land, culture and community is the foundation of today’s United States of America. Just as there shouldn’t be praise for Nazis, slurs toward the LGBTQIA+ community and anti-Black racism.

All hate speech and racism inflict harm, perpetuates offensive stereotypes and normalizes disrespect and abuse.

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When elected officials and supporters that prop them up mock us without consequence, they don’t just insult the past — they actively harm the present and endanger our future. And when their words go unanswered, it tells us that condemnation is conditional and reserved for moments when outrage is a safe political ploy, rather than a sincere reflection of their errors.

If you’re going to stand on our land and benefit from our culture that is the foundation of this nation, then don’t stand silent.

Joseph “Zeke” Rupnick is chairman of Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, a Tribal Nation based in Kansas. He’s a retired U.S. Army veteran and the fourth-generation great-grandson of Chief Shab-eh-nay.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas GOP’s words ring hollow after earlier silence | Opinion