I read the column by Diarra Guthrie '06, Davida Delmar '07 and Jane Mee Wong '06.5 about the Columbus Day protests ("The problems of Columbus Day."). And I must say, I was pretty much sold. It seems like the Columbus Day holiday is inextricably linked to the exploitation of Native Americans. But this got me thinking: What other holidays glorify our mistreatment of indigenous people?
You'll be surprised by what I found.
Washington's Birthday: This one, which we usually call President's Day, was a no-brainer. George Washington first gained fame for commanding colonial forces against the French and, you guessed it, Native Americans in the French and Indian War.
Memorial Day: A day honoring Civil War dead is also a pretty direct affront to Native Americans. After all, the Civil War was the context in which American troops committed the Sand Creek Massacre on Nov. 29, 1864. This massacre of innocent Cheyenne and Arapaho villagers was just one of many anti-Native atrocities during the war.
Independence Day: Put out the fireworks. What you're celebrating is American colonists rebelling against, among other things, the Proclamation Line of 1763. This British decree would have kept settlers from crossing the Appalachian Mountains. Instead, the independent American government encouraged settlement of the West, which as we all know was the beginning of grave tragedy for the Native Americans.
Labor Day: This one isn't obviously anti-Native, but celebrating the efforts of labor unions is clearly an affront to Asian-Americans and Latinos who have suffered harsh discrimination and denigration from labor groups. Also, it overlooks hundreds of years of forced labor by African-Americans.
Veterans' Day: There are over 190,000 Native American veterans in the United States. Yet they're one of the most overlooked segments of the veteran population, in terms of military recognition and access to veterans' services. Making "Windtalkers" wasn't enough, America.
Thanksgiving: Those Pilgrims were hardly giving thanks when they made and broke back-door allegiances with several Native American tribes, only to bring a massive force to bear on the Pequot Indians, massacring them at Mystic, Conn., on May 26, 1637.
Christmas Day: You can't be serious. The birth of Christ opened the door for the exploitation of native peoples across the world, especially Native Americans.
Let's face it. American history is rooted in the subjugation and oppression of Native Americans, as well as countless minority groups. The only holiday that I couldn't find anything objectionable about was Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
The way I see it, this leaves us with two choices. One of them is to celebrate these historical figures and groups for what they've contributed to our modern, free, democratic America, while remaining conscious of and trying to fight the injustices that they often embody. This is clearly ridiculous. The other choice is to protest all of these holidays until we don't celebrate a single one.
So get out your chalk and start drawing up "Wanted" posters. Thanksgiving is just around the corner.
Will Guzzardi '09 knows nothing's too trivial to protest.
