Christopher Columbus was no hero

By Angelica Salazar

Eighth grader, Colton Adams asks, “Why does Christopher Columbus earn the term ‘hero’”? Is it because he found Cuba? He thought Cuba was Japan. He killed people and burned them to death. He threw people into pits with spikes. He would cut up the indigenous people he came across and feed their body parts to his dogs. If people didn’t give him enough gold, he’d have his men cut off their hands. Why does Christopher Columbus deserve to be called a hero?”

As an indigenous person to this country, the United States of America, I am more than insulted that I was asking this very same question when I too was in 8th grade. Yet many years later, we have the first African American president who continues to “proclaim” October 11, 2010, as Columbus Day.

U.S. history falsely proclaims a “hero” and celebrates the atrocities and genocide that have been committed on indigenous peoples throughout the world. And just recently we found out that indigenous peoples continued to be laboratory rats of the U.S. government — for example the recent U.S. apology to Guatemala for infecting Guatemalan prison inmates, women, and mental patients with syphilis in the 1940’s. This is not an isolated case or example in or outside of the U.S. To President Obama’s credit, he did not just hide more bones in the White House closet like done by past administrations. He made a public acknowledgement and apology. Nonetheless, these are crimes against humanity and as soon as we admit the truth the sooner we will not repeat the ugly history. We can begin the healing process. In order to heal we must acknowledge the wrongdoing and the U.S. can by start supporting the U.N. declaration, human rights for indigenous peoples.

Only four countries failed to vote in favor of the declaration of our rights. Learn more here.

That is why on Monday, October 11, 2010, I did not say please or apologetically ask the U.S. government to reconsider Columbus Day. There is nothing to reconsider. We must proclaim our own day of truth. October 11 must be a day to revisit the real history of all the broken treaties and declare it Indigenous Peoples Day.

Like so many others, I am not neutral about Columbus Day. He was no hero.

Please watch and share this short, but powerful PSA about Columbus Day and sign the petition below, supported by

http://www.reconsidercolumbusday.org/.

Sign a petition:

NATIONAL HOLIDAY FOR NATIVE AMERICANS

http://www.petitiononline.com/indian/petition.html

On the United Nations voted on the Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.