When I was eight years old, the favorite game neighbor kids, my sister and I use to play was “Cowboys and Indians.” Because I had black hair and mostly because I was younger than everyone except my sister who refused to run around without a shirt on, I usually was assigned the role of Indian.

I really didn’t mind. I thought Indians were pretty cool, even though my only contact with them was old Gary Cooper and John Wayne movies. Indians got to do all the things I was good at. According to stereotypes, we both liked running around without a shirt, riding horses everywhere, holleri...