- Target:
- President Hamid Shirvani of CSU Stanislaus
- Region:
- United States of America
The voyages of Christopher Columbus are far from heroic. Columbus and his crew’s desperate search for wealth and gold led to the brutal colonization of the indigenous people of the Americas. The voyages of Columbus resulted in the enslavement, rape, robbery, and murder of mass people of the Native American population.
According to the American Indian Movement of Colorado, “Columbus Day is a perpetuation of racist assumptions that the Americas were a wasteland cluttered with dark skin savages awaiting the blessings of European ‘civilization.’”
The message Columbus Day portrays is one of disrespect and disempowerment of the multicultural communities of our past and present societies, especially those of the indigenous people.
We, the undersigned, call on Dr. Hamid Shirvani President of CSU Stanislaus to eliminate the observance of Columbus Day on the CSU Stanislaus campus.
The voyages of Christopher Columbus resulted in the enslavement, rape, robbery, and murder of mass people of the Native American population. In Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States, Zinn described sailors as searching the islands in gangs looking for gold, taking women and children as slaves for sex and labor. According to the American Indian Movement of Colorado, “Columbus Day is a perpetuation of racist assumptions that the Americas were a wasteland cluttered with dark skin savages awaiting the blessings of European ‘civilization.’” The message Columbus Day portrays is one of disrespect and disempowerment of the multicultural communities of our past and present societies, especially those of the indigenous people.
Throughout the nation, several institutions and communities are replacing the observance of Columbus Day with one they feel celebrates a greater respect for all people. For instance, Santa Cruz, Berkeley, and the University of Washington celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day. Also, South Dakota now observes October 12 as Native American day.
Columbus Day is inconsistent with the values of this university and does not exude a respect or appreciation for diversity. We strongly urge, Dr. Shirvani, you to consider this an opportunity to acknowledge the experiences of the indigenous people of the Americas, respect and embrace the diverse cultures that surround us, and eliminate the observance of Columbus Day on our campus.
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The Stop the Observance of Columbus Day at CSU Stanislaus petition to President Hamid Shirvani of CSU Stanislaus was written by alyssa and is in the category Human Rights at GoPetition.