Last week President Biden signed a proclamation for Indigenous People’s Day and acknowledged the violence done to Native Americans due to American colonization.
After years of activists pushing and fighting for it, President Biden is the first president in American history to mark Indigenous People’s Day. In his proclamation, he also said, “We must never forget the centuries-long campaign of violence, displacement, assimilation, and terror wrought upon Native communities and Tribal Nations throughout our country. Today, we acknowledge the significant sacrifices made by Native peoples to this country — and recognize their many ongoing contributions to our Nation.”
This is a step in the right direction towards a more fair and equitable state.
[mepr-hide] https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/mepr-hide]However, Congressman Lance Gooden decided to use today to let everyone know how racist he is.
Christopher Columbus is someone who should NEVER have been celebrated in the first place. Yet, America celebrated him in connection with our long-time embrace of white supremacy.
Historical records are clear, Columbus was an evil person. He enslaved and murdered hundreds of thousands of Taino people in the Bahamas. He regularly mutilated Indigenous people. Columbus was a cruel tyrant who committed terrible acts of terror and violence.
Clinging to the need to honor Columbus goes beyond honoring one person. It also means keeping faith with a Eurocentric view of the world that exalts white male explorers who “discovered” continents once inhabited by “uncivilized” barbarians.
In fact, celebrating Christopher Columbus helped America create the idea of American exceptionalism. An idea, which has led to centuries of suffering in BIPOC communities.
[mepr-hide] https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/mepr-hide]Why would Lance Gooden tweet “HAPPY COLUMBUS DAY” on the day Biden acknowledged as Indigenous People’s Day?
Columbus never discovered anything, but he did establish the transatlantic slave trade. In addition, he was a brutal monster that committed genocide, rape, and brutality.
Gooden knows about Biden’s proclamation, including the acknowledgment of what American colonizers did to Indigenous Americans.
It appears that Lance Gooden’s early morning tweet is an embrace of white supremacy, but this isn’t the first time Gooden tweeted something racist.
Vote him out. Vote them all out.
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