Opinion: Time to end Columbus Day in Colorado

Wednesday, April 11, 2007  

"One hundred years ago this month, Colorado Gov. Henry Buchtel signed Columbus Day into law, making Colorado the first state in the country with such an annual holiday. This 100th anniversary provides an excellent opportunity for the people of Colorado, and their elected representatives, to revisit Buchtel's action, and to consider what kind of future we want for this state. Hopefully, such reflection will result in the repeal of Columbus Day as a state holiday.

Columbus Day is not merely a celebration of Columbus the man; it is the celebration of a racist legal and political legacy - embedded in official legal and political pronouncements of the U.S. - such as the Doctrine of Discovery and Manifest Destiny. "Discovery" is not a simple euphemism meaning that Columbus was the first European to stumble upon America.

At the foundation of federal Indian law is a deliberate, colonial legal concept that has justified the taking of 1.9 billion acres of territory from indigenous nations. That is what is celebrated every October - "the doctrine of discovery," and the perception that civilized invader cultures have righteously subdued savage, indigenous peoples. By 2007, Columbus has become a bit player in the annual cultural justification of a lie.

Columbus Day is not an inconsequential holiday. It is the tip of a cultural, legal and political iceberg that continues to threaten the spiritual rights, land/natural resource rights, treaty rights and cultural rights of indigenous peoples throughout the Americas. The operation of this ideology of conquest remains the single largest danger to indigenous peoples today."

Get the Story:
Glenn Morris: Abolish Columbus Day (The Denver Post 4/11)

$rl Transform Columbus Day - http://www.transformcolumbusday.org

Haskell students lead Columbus Day protest (10/10)
Opinion: No need to celebrate Columbus Day (10/10)
Opinion: Celebrating Colmbus condones genocide (10/9)
Protest planned for Columbus Day parade in Denver (10/3)
Debate: Transform Columbus Day or treasure it? (9/28)
Column: Bad Eagle supports Columbus Day parade (9/27)
Comanche man to perform at NMAI despite critique (9/26)
Scalia leads Columbus Day parade in New York (10/11)
Columbus Day parade, protest turn out peaceful (10/10)
Another Columbus Day parade and protest in Denver (10/7)
Colorado AIM offers deal on Columbus Day parade (10/04)
Denver mayor 'sick and tired' of Columbus Day protest (9/29)
Column: Columbus Day is only a parade for protesters (01/28)
Column: Columbus Day protesters overreacting (1/27)
Editorial: Law should protect Columbus Day parade (1/26)
Columbus Day parade likened to cross-burning (1/26)
Denver forced to end Columbus Day protest cases (1/25)
Column: Columbus Day parade is not 'hate speech' (1/25)
Denver won't drop case against Columbus protesters (1/24)
Columbus Day protesters acquitted in Denver (1/21)
Natives changing perspective on 'Indian' holidays (11/10)
Opinion: Be proud of Wal-Mart, and Columbus too (10/15)
Letter: Indians better off thanks to Columbus (10/14)
Native students don't celebrate Columbus Day (10/12)
Column: Columbus ignored as Natives persevere (10/11)
Editorial: It's that time of the year (Columbus Day) (10/08)
Column: It's wrong to compare Columbus to Hitler (10/07)
Columbus Day protesters seek day in court(1/14)
Were terrorists plotting on Columbus Day? (10/17)
Columbus Day not a celebration for all (10/15)
Letters: Columbus Day marches and more (10/15)
Another year, another Columbus Day (10/14)
You can't stop the Italians! (10/11)
It's Columbus Day, Be nice to the Italians! (10/10)
Editorial: Be nice to the Italians (10/9)
Another year, Another Columbus Day (10/7)
Columbus Day events given permits (7/17)
Cost of Columbus Day topping $100,000 (10/9)
Italians to boycott Columbus Day (9/19)
Columbus Day started in Colorado (9/10)
'Columbus' may be dropped from parade (8/29)
Event is not Columbus protest, says group (7/17)
Columbus Day battle brews (7/12)
Italians celebrate Columbus Day early (7/11)
Group awarded Columbus Day permit (7/10)
Peaceful protest greets parade (10/9)