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On Friday in Chicago, Black & Indigenous organizations led protests that wanted to take down a statue of Columbus. CPD responded by attacking protestors. A statue dedicated to hate was more important to the city than Chicagoans. The Columbus statue should come down, here’s why...
Columbus and his men tortured, raped, enslaved, and murdered the Indigenous people that they encountered in the Caribbean. https://www.vox.com/2014/10/13/6957875/christopher-columbus-murderer-tyrant-scoundrel
As soon as Columbus saw the Arawak people he immediately thought about how he could enslave them.
“With fifty men we could subjugate them all and make them do whatever we want.”
https://www.historyisaweapon.com/defcon1/zinncol1.html
“With fifty men we could subjugate them all and make them do whatever we want.”
https://www.historyisaweapon.com/defcon1/zinncol1.html
Columbus committed genocide against Indigenous people
“From a population of 100,000 at the lowest estimate in 1492, there remained in 1514 about 32,000 Arawaks in Española. By 1542, according to Las Casas, only 200 were left.” https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/columbus-confusion-about-the-new-world-140132422/
“From a population of 100,000 at the lowest estimate in 1492, there remained in 1514 about 32,000 Arawaks in Española. By 1542, according to Las Casas, only 200 were left.” https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/columbus-confusion-about-the-new-world-140132422/
For years American Indians have been demanding an end to Columbus Day and to stop honoring Columbus. The American Indian Center in Chicago has a whole activism page so people can help them in this fight. @aicchicago https://aicchicago.org/indigenous-peoples-day/#1579469278345-1d8d508a-a692
The fight to no longer honor Columbus has been going on for years. Because of American Indians and activists many cities and states no longer honor Columbus (spolier Mayor Lightfoot likes Columbus, more on that later in this thread) https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/22/us/indigenous-peoples-day-columbus-day-trnd/index.html
In school I was only taught “in 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue and discovered America”. As a history teacher I knew I had to do better. I had high school students research then write age appropriate children’s books that we read at a local elementary https://davestieber.com/2018/10/13/high-schoolers-researching-and-teaching-true-columbus-to-1st-graders/
As parents and educators we can teach our children age appropriate truths about Columbus.
“..the Columbus myth is a foundation of children’s beliefs about society.” https://www.zinnedproject.org/materials/rethinking-columbus/
“..the Columbus myth is a foundation of children’s beliefs about society.” https://www.zinnedproject.org/materials/rethinking-columbus/
The National Congress of American Indians says,
“This movement across the country to rid our shared spaces of symbols that represent hate, genocide, and bigotry illustrates that it is past time for all cities to stand on the right side of history...”
http://www.ncai.org/news/articles/2020/06/13/ncai-statement-on-the-removal-of-christopher-columbus-statues
“This movement across the country to rid our shared spaces of symbols that represent hate, genocide, and bigotry illustrates that it is past time for all cities to stand on the right side of history...”
http://www.ncai.org/news/articles/2020/06/13/ncai-statement-on-the-removal-of-christopher-columbus-statues
If you find yourself saying “but who would replace the Columbus statues if they came down?” Don’t fret, Indian Country Today has a list of Indigenous people our country could honor https://indiancountrytoday.com/news/10-people-whose-statues-should-replace-columbus-Gapult4Fm0K-V-1-PghKfg
In Chicago it took years of activism but Chicago Public Schools finally decided to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day https://blockclubchicago.org/2020/02/27/cps-ditches-columbus-day-will-celebrate-indigenous-peoples-day-instead/
However the decision to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day so enraged two fragile Chicago Aldermen that they said they would “bring an Army of Italians to the next school board meeting.” https://www.wbez.org/stories/alderman-says-army-of-italians-to-protest-switch-from-columbus-to-indigenous-peoples-day/171322f9-5acf-42aa-a0ac-83021880b84e
As a CPS history teacher and the grandson of an Italian immigrant I responded to the two alderman and the notion that Italian Americans were upset about not honoring Columbus. http://www.chicagonow.com/trying-to-teach/2020/02/bye-columbus-day/
The Italian American Heritage Society of Chicago also supports not honoring Columbus in anyway.
https://www.italianheritagechicago.org
https://www.italianheritagechicago.org
If you are worried about “Italians needing someone to look up to”, no worries here’s some that are worth celebrating
“Want to honor Italian heritage? Skip Columbus and learn about these justice fighters.” https://www.zinnedproject.org/materials/italians-who-fought-for-justice/
“Want to honor Italian heritage? Skip Columbus and learn about these justice fighters.” https://www.zinnedproject.org/materials/italians-who-fought-for-justice/
So what’s left, why can’t we stop honoring Columbus in Chicago? Oh yes, our “progressive” Mayor Lightfoot. She’s mad our schools will celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day and will do anything to protect a statue of Columbus. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.chicagotribune.com/politics/ct-lori-lightfoot-columbus-statues-20200618-54w4yfg3f5bthg3c2c25muxlfe-story.html%3foutputType=amp
Our Mayor cares more about a statue of the man credited to start the Trans-Atlantic slave trade than actual people in Chicago, that she had hundreds of Chicago Police protect a statue and attack protestors. https://twitter.com/seanduffy_/status/1284362794398289921?s=21
Mayor Lightfoot thinks we need statues to honor murderers. As a history teacher she’s wrong, I can teach about the KKK or Columbus, without having statues of them. In addition, this is the most epic response to arguments like Mayor Lightfoot’s https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2020/06/26/opinion/confederate-monuments-racism.amp.html
Don’t forget that Chicago as part of its reparations package to the over 125 survivors of Chicago Police torture agreed to build a memorial to the survivors. The memorial has been designed but the city has been dragging its feet and not built it yet.
https://chicagotorture.org/about/
https://chicagotorture.org/about/
