by Trinity Norwood (Op-Ed from the Philadelphia Inquirer, October 9, 2020)https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/commentary/columbus-day-philadelphia-indigenous-peoples-day-parade-20201009.html
Columbus Day idealizes a murderer who was lost and minimizes the negative effects of colonialism on America’s Indigenous Peoples. In the same way Germany does not have a national holiday or statues to memorialize Hitler because of his deplorable actions against humanity; Christopher Columbus should not be celebrated either. The actions of Columbus and the colonizers who followed him sparked the two greatest crimes in the history of the Americas: The Trans-Atlantic slave trade, and the systematic genocide of Indigenous Peoples.
To list all the crimes Columbus was directly a part of, supported, or sparked would take much longer then an op-ed, but the evidence we have against this man and his views of indigenous people should be damning enough for our society to have a sense of shame over that part of our history; yet still we have a national holiday dedicated to him.As a society, we recognize that slavery and genocide are terrible, yet we still celebrate the perpetrators of the events within our own history. If someone murdered, mutilated, raped, and sold your loved ones into slavery, how would your feel about the rest of your country celebrating one of their accidental accomplishments (because remember- reaching the Americas was never his goal, he thought he was in Asia)?
I don’t believe we should erase Columbus, but what should be taught is what actually happened. Columbus had a contract with the Spanish Monarchy to pillage in the Indies and keep a percentage for himself. When he landed in the Caribbean, not only did he have no idea where he was, the Indigenous peoples had to save him and his crew. Then after their acts of generosity and kindness, he systematically enslaved, raped, and murdered the Native people. Moreover, it is widely believed that he wasn’t even the first European to visit the Americas. That title belongs to the Norse Viking Leif Eriksson, who is thought to have landed almost five centuries before Columbus set sail. Besides the fact that any European claim of “discovery” of this land is ridiculous, given that Indigenous civilizations already existed in the Americas. So, what exactly are we celebrating on Columbus day?
To my Italian American friends who feel removing Columbus day ignores their history in this country I leave you with this: Columbus actually never stepped foot in what is now the Continental United States, so he is not part of your North-American Heritage. And most importantly, there are plenty of other Italian Americans to be proud of and Celebrate. Like Nobel Peace Prize winner Enrico Fermi, or the great humanitarian Mother Francis Cabrini. As a country we should be celebrating that Columbus did NOT accomplish his main objective, eradicating the Indigenous Peoples of this continent. Although he tried, Indigenous people not only survived but are powerful and vibrant. We should be celebrating Indigenous Peoples day and the powerful notion that even through colonization, genocide, boarding schools, and bio-chemical warfare WE ARE STILL HERE. Lets stop rewriting history to make ourselves feel good. Acknowledge the faults of those who came before us, seek reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, and once true healing begins, the “good” feeling we can all share will be genuine… and you can still enjoy your super sales in October even if his name isn’t attached to it.
