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In Whose Honor: The Christopher Columbus Controversy

“In fourteen hundred ninety-two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue…"

Colorado celebrated Christopher Columbus’ discovery of the Americas in 1906, as the first official state holiday, invoking American patriotism at its finest. However, Americans across the board had already established a tradition of celebrating the legendary Italian explorer during the Colonial era, as well. In 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared Columbus Day a national holiday. Today, I still remember the romanticized story of how America came to be, thanks to Christopher Columbus’ diplomacy and the Native’s friendly cooperation – or, so I was taught.  His bravery, his determination, and his aspirations for the “New World” almost always underplayed the role of Native Americans in American history. Regrettably, most of us never question the morality in stripping people of their land, their culture, and celebrating a holiday that harbors indifference towards indigenous people.

Why do most Americans continue to sugar-coat history, especially to the young and impressionable? Contrary to popular belief, learning about the unabridged and uncensored history of America in my college classes – in this case, the inhumanity targeted towards indigenous people – is not “easier to cope with,” because I am older than an elementary school student. In fact, I have little doubt that my eight year-old self would have responded differently than the twenty year-old that I am today. The same questions are still there, regardless of age. Why did Columbus illegitimately take the land from Natives? Why were the Natives forced to convert to Christianity? Why do we honor someone who invoked fear and terror to other fellow human beings? Why has everyone overlooked Columbus’ role in facilitating slave trade? Do any of these issues matter anymore, did they ever matter? Or, is there an unspoken understanding that tradition overrides atrocities that, seemingly, only happened in the past? We seem to have this notion that wisdom is exclusive to people who have an x amount of years under their belts, yet, in doing so, we consequently overlook and underestimate the ability of children to distinguish right from wrong. Is this healthy and conducive to a civil society?

That being said, there is a prominent parallel between the Columbus Day controversy and the usage of Native American mascots in the realm of academia; both are seemingly harmless and rely heavily on tradition. Though, I won’t go into detail about the ramifications of schools that have a Native American mascot, it should be noted that many indigenous people are hurt by the trivialization of their sacred culture. In the case of celebrating Columbus Day, children are embedded with notions of patriotism and are taught everything from map-making to treasure hunting. However, children are denied the reality of Columbus’ horrifying conquest and tyrannical governorship; the parade of dismembered bodies of natives, who revolted against Columbus, is overlooked and swept under the proverbial rug. What about the wave of diseases that led to biological warfare against the unprotected and unsuspecting indigenous people? Along with the goods that were traded in the Columbian Exchange, slaves and diseases were also shared; the aftermath was, of course, devastating to indigenous people and their population. So, how can we honor a person who subjected fellow human beings to such horrors? How can we act indifferent, when this holiday ignores the trials of the indigenous people of the Americas?

Perhaps, it is best to abandon traditions that invoke injustice and harbor indifference towards victims. Sure, Columbus’ reign of terror occurred centuries ago, but we must consider the ramifications of his actions that still affect indigenous people today. It is no longer sufficient to say that we “didn’t know” or that tradition means more than another person's emotions. What is more important, recreating history through festivities – replicating Columbus’ voyage through papier-mâché globes and paper plate dream catchers – or owning up to America’s dark past, and giving indigenous people the dignity and recognition they deserve? Instead of blindly embracing years of celebrating a holiday which honors a person who clearly dehumanized indigenous people, we could divert festivities to illuminate indigenous traditions and culture (that are otherwise dwindling and fading into the backdrops of history). Today, on October 12, 2010, five hundred and eighteen years later, we still have a choice of perpetuating this inaccurate and unmerited holiday, or to STAND UP and own up to America’s shortcomings. It is never too late to stand up to injustice­ – big or small; in twenty-ten, never again.

Columbus Day activities for kids:

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/columbus/

http://www.everythingesl.net/lessons/columbusday_celebration.php

Condensed version of history:

http://www.everythingesl.net/downloads/columbus_factsheet.pdf

**Reconsider Columbus Day**

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=il5hwpdJMcg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2XTu2P_kHs

Continued from home page...

In 1948, the international community met in the aftermath of the Holocaust to pass international laws against genocide and to establish the right of asylum for persecuted people seeking protection. The United Nations proclaimed to the world that we would not stand for mass murder, and that we would actively fight and prosecute those who engaged in such evil. But it was an empty gesture.

The motto of the world when it came to the Holocaust was “Never Again.” I now view this as a cruel joke. What changed after the Holocaust? The world officially dubbed the Nazi regime evil, but then we seemed to have forgotten that. Mind you, we never forgot what happened between 1933 and 1945. What we forgot was the lesson of what happened. Just ask the Islamic Chams of Cambodia. Ask the Tutsis of Rwanda. Ask the Bengalis and Hindus of Bangladesh.

According to the Historical Atlas of the Twentieth Century, 83 Million people died from genocide and tyranny between 1900 and 2000. To put that in perspective, we said “Never Again” after the Holocaust, then we let it happen 13 more times.

I’m a senior in high school. Maybe my lack of years and wisdom is keeping me from understanding just how we can be so complacent. We as a civilization sit idly by as these mass murders continue. The Congo and Darfur both have suffered ongoing genocides. What are we doing about it? I see people donating money to buy fire starters for the people of Darfur, so they can’t be killed looking for firewood. I see people wearing “Save Darfur” t-shirts. I see people showing support on Facebook. But what are we actually doing to stop the conflict? Nothing is going to change unless the world community intervenes. People are going to kill until we force them to stop. We can’t simply give some organization $30 and pat ourselves on the back anymore.

Racism and polarization are the precursors to genocide. Once you label two groups and force them apart, it becomes much easier to say they aren’t human. To systematically disenfranchise them. To force them to walk around wearing yellow stars or blue scarves. To blame them for your country’s woes and make the people hate them. It’s hard for someone in America to envision that kind of hate. But look at Iraq and Afghanistan, where Sunni and Shiite Muslims have been engaged in civil war for decades. It didn’t turn that way overnight. It starts with simple petty racism. Once that is allowed, it turns into a racist movement, which turns to dehumanization of the other group. Soon, you have killings on one or both sides of the conflict, and only intervention can stop it.

But there’s no danger of this in today’s modern western world, we say. We’re wrong. On July 9, a “protest” by a hate group took place at the Dallas Holocaust Museum/Center for Education and Tolerance, the Jewish Community Center, the Resource Center of Dallas, and a few other locations. The purpose? “To remind the Jews that the Lord their God caused the Holocaust…to remind the Jews that they are cursed for killing Christ…to remind you Jews that the Lord has confounded your leaders and they have lead you astray… to remind [gays and lesbians] that the Lord, who destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah for being a bunch of filthy fags, still reigns sovereign." Is this really happening in my city? Is this really America?

We say, “It’s not our problem.” We say we want others to deal with it. I’m guilty of that myself. I ignored for so long what I knew was happening in Darfur and The Congo. I said nothing when I heard racism playing out in front of me. I did nothing when I saw the injustice that happens around the world. In short, I was a bystander. We live in a small world. Bystanding is no longer acceptable. When we do nothing in the face of hatred and evil, what we’re saying is that we approve. Doing nothing isn’t staying neutral, it’s supporting the hatred, whether that hatred manifests as racism, anti-semitism, and homophobia, or as the widespread murders of a population. In neither instance is it acceptable to sit by and do nothing. We all live on this world together. Each person is a reflection of the values and ideals of our society, and the chain is only as strong as its weakest link. We have to do better.

When I finally sat down and wondered how we—how I—can really make a difference, I realized that, however corny and cliché it sounds, we need to change the world, and it begins with me. We need to simply let those who hate know that they will not be tolerated. Remember the school videos with the bully on the playground? It always struck me as odd that only one person would stand up for the victim. What if everyone did? What if whenever hatred became apparent, everyone condemned it with just words or simple, defiant actions? As we are right now, small numbers of people need to do big things to end hatred, racism, and genocide. To truly end the problem for good, we don’t all need to do big things. Rather than rely on a small number of those who refuse to be bystanders, we can all easily be a society of Upstanders. Upstanders used to be those who did huge things to foil hatred. Now, it can be all of us who do small things to truly mean it when we say “Never Again.”

Bradley Harmon is a senior at Pearce High School in Richardson.

MY STRUGGLE  - UPSTANDER OR BYSTANDER.

My name is McKenzie Gardner and I’m 12 years old.  It started a month or so ago when a girl in my class (we will call her Georgia but its not her real name) really started causing problems.  There were a bunch of girls that were arguing about something, and I suggested they all apologize and move on as we were going on a field trip that day and should be having fun, not fighting.  Georgia refused, then went to our parents and accused me of saying things about her.  During a confrontation with all the parents and several witnesses, Georgia finally admitted that she had lied in her accusations against me.  She did not apologize nor did her mother encourage her to. 

I didn’t think much about it after that, as we had hugged and – I thought –made friends. But after that day, she accused me of several other things that were untrue. Then one day Tech class, I was working on my computer when Georgia walked past, grabbed my hair, twisted it and pulled hard enough that it pulled a chunk of hair out! I was very upset and had a headache for several days, but I did not tell….

Then 2 or 3 days later in choir, I was doing my solo part.  I had to sit in front of the  class with the 3 other soloists.  Georgia started to kick me with her foot.  Three times I signaled for her to stop, and the third time, she punched me from behind in the ribs.  I actually have had many problems with my ribs resulting in medical tests, and Georgia knew of this.  I did my solo, went back to my usual spot and cried.  My teacher did not see this, but many of the other students did, which made it not only painful but embarrassing.  Again, I did not tell….

The reason I did not tell was fear.  I was scared she would do something even worse to me.  It was hard enough her hitting me and trying to turn my friends against me, I didn’t want it to get any worse.

One day, my best friend, who Georgia had also bullied,  (She had pushed her down and been verbally abusive) told me that she had spoken with her Mom and they were going to go to the Principal.  My friend told me she had been struggling with thoughts of what Georgia had been doing to me as well as her own problems with her.  Her Mom contacted my Mom, and it all came out.  I was relieved to finally be able to talk about it.

I go to a Christian school, and this kind of behavior is not allowed.  I decided then and there that I was “DONE.” I talked with my parents, and we decided to take it to the Principals and make it known what had been happening.  I told my friend that it would all be okay now.  It wasn’t. 

The school went through a lengthy investigation privately, where I felt like nothing was being done.  Witnesses were pulled in, and they all said the truth about what had happened.  But nothing seemed to happen to Georgia, other than she was out of class for meetings.  She was sent home one afternoon, but came back the next day, bragging about playing on the internet during her “punishment” day.  I was very upset, as I felt like I had put myself on the line with a bully for nothing.  My Mom and I talked a lot during this time.  She explained that the consequences had to be confidential and the school was doing lots of work to correct the problem and that even although I can’t see the consequences didn’t mean they weren’t there.  I realize that I still did the right thing. 

I had to be an UPSTANDER for so many reasons.  I had to stop myself from being bullied.  I had to stop my friends from being bullied, but most important I had to let Georgia know her actions were not acceptable. How can she know if we don’t tell her?  How can she improve if she doesn’t understand?  My prayer was that she would have a consequence that would get her attention and make her rethink her ways. 

Unfortunately Georgia’s parents do not believe she bullied me or the several other children whose families had complained.  It’s very sad because she needs her parents to help her understand and see her mistakes.  Instead, they seem to think she is an angel and that she never did any of these things.

When you are in a bad situation like this, you should always Stand Up for what is right.  You are not being a tattle-tale.  You are stopping a dangerous situation for yourself and for others who are at risk.  When someone is bullying you, the reason is that they are pushing you down to make themselves look taller. 

The only consequence Georgia suffered is being disallowed from joining our class on an upcoming off-campus choir competition.  She cannot leave school grounds without parents, and parents are not invited on this trip.  Georgia is now busily trying to convince the other kids that it’s all my fault and that I and all the other kids are liars.  I’m glad to report that not much of her recent accusations are being heard.  But I am very sad that she doesn’t get it so she that she can correct it.

On a happy note, my best friend and I are closer that ever, and will protect each other from this day forward.

Again,  stand up for what is right – always –so that we do NOT have another Holocaust.

Yours truly,

McKenzie Gardner!!!!!!!!!