[Trigger Warning: this post discusses the history of colonization, politics, and genocide]
Today is identified as “Columbus Day” in the United States, for which a de-colonized effort, lens, and activism has reclaimed it in the name of the Indigenous People impacted by colonization. What are the discussion points here and why is it important for us to be knowledgeable about this? (Because the United States is perpetuating suffering and we as citizens of this global super-power are rarely informed about what our tax-dollars are doing that harms non-White peoples around the globe.)
First, Columbus didn’t discover anything. The land was filled with a nation of peoples who through tribal organization were governing themselves and had lived alongside each other with varying degrees of peace and warfare for hundreds of years before European contact. VividMaps has a page to illustrate this and the resulting impact on native populations in our modern day that emphasizes how genocidal European Colonization was to North America’s native peoples and tribes.
One map of theirs beautifully shows the diversity in heritage and is shown here:
However, the narrative most people in the US and Canada received in development emphasized a universal benefit of colonization, converting “nomadic” and “savage” people into prosperous “settlements” that “civilized” the people. We ignore the initial impact and judgments that invaders like Columbus had about the people who received him, we ignore the biological warfare that occurred in wiping out upwards of 90% of the indigenous population through smallpox and other deadly diseases for which they had no defense, and we have SLOWLY recognized the lasting impact residential schools had in the 20th century as White Christian “saviors” systemically worked to kill tribal languages, traditions, networks, and identities through oppressive laws that were racially biased and used religious prejudice as justification.
Indigenous people now continue to fight for recognition, and the preservation of their cultures and heritages, which includes land acknowledgements of what has been occupied and taken through Colonization. Governments and official bodies are beginning to practice land acknowledgments and discussions about the sovereignty and dignity that native peoples deserve as a people with their own rights and culture that should be respected and integrated, not dominated and assimilated to Euro-centric values exclusively.
The effective consequence to the United States is simple in that our population has disconnected from the land in an authentic way, we have prioritized capitalism and urban development over sustainability, and we have collectively lost sight of how much our views and hierarchies are based in prioritizing White Christians over other groups. Languages of propaganda are still being used to instill a belief that the United States is the country of democracy and freedom despite many reports and statistics that indicate we are failing to provide these values to others. Historically, the value of ensuring equitable access to resources to all peoples, bodily autonomy to all genders, and protection to the diversity our human family has been ignored and it is sadly continuing in our current political hellscape.
Simultaneously, the United States is funding another form of colonization with the military intimidation and oppression of Arab and Muslim peoples through its blanket support of Israels appalling “stewardship” of the lands where Palestinians are forced to live, and a current ground invasion to once again destabilize and upset the peoples of Lebanon who are relieving the traumas of military invasions that began before 1948, in the 6-day war of ’67, and a continued pattern of failed invasions that many in the US are unaware.
Peace will not be established through lopsided warfare and the aggressors need to be clearly identified, not allowed to hide behind propaganda of victimhood that absolves one of responsibility, evaluation, or international law. A review of any casualty report for any conflict in the region will clearly identify which side succeeds in killing the other by a factor of 10:1, typically.
We must all work to educate ourselves and find opportunities to speak out against religious persecution and disregard for the value and diversity of non-White peoples: their languages, traditions, faiths, and ways of life.
Peace for all does not endorse or ignore the murder of children, and that is what happens when schools and hospitals are bombed, or a third of a country’s population is identified as a viable target for its political ideology. England had to come to the table of negotiation for peace instead of continuing hostilities with the IRA, the same needs to happen with Israel’s neighbors, and the US should be holding them accountable instead of continuing to arm the weapons.
Free Tibet!
Free Palestine!
Protect Lebanon!
Fight Colonial Oppression!
Preserve and Protect Jewish Peoples, Culture, and Heritage without Zionism!
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