“The main islands were thickly populated with a peaceful folk when Christ-over found them. But the orgy of blood which followed, no man has written. We are the slaughterers. It is the tortured soul of our world.” --William Carlos Williams
Christopher Columbus was the worst diplomat in history. To say that he was a slave trader, a murderer, and a rapist is not an exaggeration. Under his administration as ‘viceroy’ or ‘governor’ of the Caribbean, millions perished due to the Spaniards’ diseases and savage brutality. Within a generation of Columbus’s landing on the island he called Hispaniola, the indigenous Arawak population had declined by 99%. This is genocide, and these arrogant actions set the foundation for legal and social policies regarding European contact with indigenous people.
Every year on the 2nd Monday of October, a federal holiday still honors Columbus’s legacy, which reflects on all of us living on in the U.S. In this age of multiculturalism, it is embarrassing, if not completely offensive, that the colonial tradition of Columbus is glorified. The public condemnation of Columbus Day is long overdue, and with enough pressure, could result in a federal termination or transformation of Columbus Day.
Many states (17) have already dropped Columbus Day as a state paid holiday. Columbus Day in South Dakota and Wyoming has been changed to Native American Day, and North Dakota recently passed legislation to change the holiday to First Nations Day. Last year, a Congressman from California, Joe Baca, introduced federal legislation to officially change Columbus Day to Native American Day, but the bill was defeated. The government may be unwilling to recognize the spiral of atrocities that began with Columbus’s landing, but the legacy continues in contemporary policies that marginalize, persecute and subjugate indigenous people.
The future is in our hands, and we as individuals living within the borders of the U.S. can be compliant and justify our collective histories, or we can acknowledge and reclaim the past to avoid future repetitions of injustice. You can address concerns such as these (and real solutions) this month at the Northwest Social Forum. You can also meet up with others who wish to confront Columbus Day next Monday (October 11) at 5pm at Sylvester Park in Olympia, WA and there will be a march to the Capitol at 5:30pm.
