On Indigenous People’s Day: No Kings

It’s a federal holiday today. Our not-so-illustrious President has declared that it is no longer a day to celebrate Indigenous People, but rather, a day to admire “the original American hero,” Columbus. The truth is, the name of the federal holiday has never been changed from the Columbo one (and that confused navigator was Italian, and never actually made it to what is now the U.S.). But a more complete view of historical figures is the responsibility of scholars, and it is the responsibility of educators to present the facts as we understand them. The voyages of Columbus did usher in a different time, one that led to the destruction of much that was already here; but yes, those days of European exploration also led to where we are now, good and bad. It’s worth recognizing both parts of history. But personally, I won’t honor a violent and racist explorer whose major claim to fame is that, unlike unlike scholars going  to ancient Greece, he grossly underestimated the size of the planet.

States and cities always have the right to label holidays as they choose, and calling today Indigenous People’s Day is one way expressing our love and concern for the original inhabitants of this continent. This is certainly permitted. At least so far.

But on this day, and in this year, we also know that the people of this country, indigenous or not, are under attack from our own government. Science, medicine, freedom of peaceful assembly, not to mention our pocketbooks, are all under attack from a would-be king and his acolytes who dislike the very idea of a democratic republic. None of which is a revelation to the readers of this blog. But in 5 days, many of us will be peacefully protesting the abysmal actions of this government and affirming our fundamental opposition to dictatorial rule, a view that our country’s founders expressed and instantiated in their documents.

Peace be with us on No King’s Day

There will be provocations on Saturday. Some of them will come from explicit representatives of the government. But some will also be from those few protestors who have lost patience with peaceful protest. We need to resist such instincts. Anything other than nonviolent action will only encourage repression and hurt our cause. 

Let’s hope that the millions of people rallying will carry the message clearly to the many who remain uninvolved: No Kings!