It was the Wampanoag People, the people of the first light, that encountered the Pilgrims when they arrived to Turtle Island (North America) from Europe in 1620. Since 1863, Thanksgiving has been celebrated as a national holiday in the United States, mythologizing the violent events that followed European arrival into a story of friendship and mutual sharing. But the reality is that the Wampanoags’ generosity was met with genocide, and this truth has been systematically suppressed in the US education system, government, and popular culture.
It's time to recognize that celebrating the life of Christopher Columbus is the same as celebrating the erasure of Indigenous existence.
"We believe it is important to hear the other side of the story-- the Indigenous side-- because there are detrimental implications to learning about the side of history that makes heroes of colonizers, and erases those who were colonized" say Shaldon Ferris and Avexnim Cotji, Indigenous Rights Radio producers.
Hoy 13 de septiembre conmemoramos un año más, de los nueve en total, de la Declaración de las Naciones Unidas sobre los Derechos de los Pueblos Indígenas, la que fue adoptada en Nueva York durante la sesión 61 de la Asamblea General de las Naciones Unidas. Esta declaración protege los derechos colectivos e individuales de los Pueblos Indígenas en relación con el autogobierno, la tierra, la educación, el empleo, la salud y otras areas, te invitamos a escuchar el siguiente spot.