Comments on: Abolish Columbus Day Campaign

By: Dr. Siu

Dr. Siu — Sun, 12 Sep 2021 23:55:36 +0000

Christopher the Ogre Cologre, It’s Over! – New Children’s Book Challenges Columbus Narrative from an Indigenous Perspective

https://lastrealindians.com/news/2021/9/8/our-existence-is-resistance-new-childrens-book-challenges-columbus-narrative-from-an-indigenous-perspective

By: Leroy Strong Cloud Pena

Leroy Strong Cloud Pena — Fri, 29 Jan 2021 23:14:46 +0000

My group, The Red Handed Warrior Society, secured recognition of Indigenous People’s Day for the City of Dallas and Dallas County in 2019, and in the City of Ft. Worth and Tarrant County (Ft. Worth) in 2020.

By: Tom Gangwer

Tom Gangwer — Thu, 15 Oct 2020 18:28:32 +0000

It is good that progress is being made to inform citizens on the truth about Columbus. It is an essential element of educating all citizens about the real history of the United States. Teaching the truth about the methods and actions employed in establishing our nation. Broad citizen understanding of such deplorable historical facts is vital to preventing future national wrongs.

Eliminating Columbus Day as a celebratory holiday is important. Particularly because the vial acts and crimes against native peoples by Columbus established and justified subsequent continuation and expansion of horrendous practices by others.

However, care must be taken to ensure such truths and facts do not end up in the dust bin of history as a result of removal from the national conscience. Establishing an Indigenous Peoples Day is a good goal in and of itself. It is, as Bill Bigelow points out (https://www.zinnedproject.org/if-we-knew-our-history/time-abolish-columbus-day/ ), “a day to commemorate the resistance and resilience of Indigenous peoples”. But it is also a day to “look deeply into each nook and cranny of” our true national founding and development from Columbus onward. Fortunately, we have the writings of men like Howard Zinn as sources of history facts and the Black Lives Matter movement model to draw on.

As Howard Zinn made very clear, there are the school text books and teaching materials real history challenges. It would be quite valuable to have a national, as up to date as possible, status on the scope and progress for these two real history challenges. This will require effort but is important for targeting expenditure of limited resources. The Zinn Education Project is working diligently on the teaching materials challenge. However, there is still the need to understand the broader scope and status for both challenge arenas. Classroom teachers have first hand knowledge directly relevant to these challenges. Coordinated information gathering from these folks would be essential to this effort. Is anyone aware of an existing real history scope and progress status effort for the United States?

By: Christopher Reider

Christopher Reider — Mon, 12 Oct 2020 14:33:19 +0000

Our students don’t understand the truth and the real history. Historians and educators like Zinn and Loewen, and organizations like beforecolumbusfoundation.com have to be appreciated and endorsed in schools nationwide. I can recall watching educational “propaganda” films shown to youth, like the ones produced in Nazi Germany screened for The Hitler Youth, or in North Korean elementary schools, and thinking there wasn’t all that much difference in the way the US structures its curriculum: heavy on patriotic idolization of flawed history and untruths.

By: Sonia Noemi Cross

Sonia Noemi Cross — Sun, 11 Oct 2020 19:49:03 +0000

My name is Sonia Noemi Cross (married name). I am born and raised in San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico. I was told by my father’s family that my paternal grandmother was a Taino woman. My sister and I are Taino and we were not told about Cristobal Colon (christopher columbus). Instead we said, “La tierra de borinquen donde he nacido yo, es un jardin querido de magico fulgor. Cuando a sus playas llego Colon, exclamo lleno de admiracion…”

There aren’t many of us left, but we’re still here. Thank you Zinn Education Project. Thank you Mr. Howard Zinn.

By: A. Teacher

A. Teacher — Sun, 11 Oct 2020 09:45:30 +0000

On Friday, October 9th, Governor Northam proclaimed that Virginians would celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day!
https://www.governor.virginia.gov/newsroom/all-releases/2020/october/headline-860779-en.html

By: Scott Garrity

Scott Garrity — Sat, 10 Oct 2020 02:31:05 +0000

I’m thrilled Michigan has made the change to Indigenous People’s Day. In my small 96% white community I made this face book post for this year:
INVITATION:
Monday is Indigenous People’s Day. I am not an indigenous person and I am no expert regarding indigenous people. But I would like to honor the indigenous peoples of our country and of this area the best I know how. For any who would like to join me, I plan to be at the park in front of Kroger on MONDAY, OCTOBER 12 at 6:30 pm. I will be sharing a land acknowledgment and reading the 2010 U.S. apology to Native Peoples (don’t worry it is short!) I will also have handouts available with resources pertaining to things I have been learning over the last six months for those who might like to learn more about Native Peoples histories. All are welcome.
#IndigenousPeoplesDay #honornativeamericans
#bedfordtownshipmi

By: Linda baccki

Linda baccki — Fri, 09 Oct 2020 18:25:35 +0000

In Vermont we will celebrate Indigenous People’s Day on Monday….so happy to live in a wise, free state- I met Howard Zinn at Siena College many years ago-lucky me!

By: Lisa Chien

Lisa Chien — Fri, 09 Oct 2020 16:56:12 +0000

Flagstaff, AZ celebrated Indigenous People’s Day starting 2019, and Arizona also converted this year, 2020. Please see link below and thank you for this campaign:

https://news.azpm.org/p/news-topical-politics/2020/9/23/180654-governor-says-indigenous-peoples-day-to-be-celebrated-in-2020/

By: Lisa Chien

Lisa Chien — Fri, 09 Oct 2020 06:25:09 +0000

Arizona just announced 2020 is the first year to celebrate Indigenous People’s Day!! See: https://news.azpm.org/p/news-topical-politics/2020/9/23/180654-governor-says-indigenous-peoples-day-to-be-celebrated-in-2020/