Children at an Indigenous Peoples Day march in Seattle, 2014. Photo: Alex Garland.
Through the conventional story of the "discovery of America," the school curriculum has
taught students to celebrate colonialism and racism, and to disregard the lives of the Taínos, and other Indigenous peoples. The Columbus-discovers-America story has long been a kind of secular book of Genesis
----"In the beginning there was Columbus..."
----the original Only White Lives Matter myth. And it has played a central role in the
curricular erasure of the humanity of Indigenous peoples.
I taught high school social studies for almost 30 years. One of my
first activities in my high school U.S. history classes was to steal a student's purse. Yes, I wanted to capture students' attention at the beginning of the school year, but
I also wanted them to think about whose lives are valued----and whose aren't----in the traditional curriculum.
Continue reading.
"Support Indigenous Rights: Abolish Columbus Day" is the newest article in the
Zinn Education Project series,
If We Knew Our History, posted on
Common Dreams,
Alternet, and
Huffington Post. You can help us reach a wider audience in three steps:
A free downloadable
14-page packet with
articles, s
ample resolutions,
a resource list, and
a poster that teachers and students can use in campaigns to rename Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day.
Download and share with your colleagues and community.
