Dear Mayor Toni Harp,
It has been a tradition to teach our children about the discovery of "the New World." However, the legacy of Columbus is not of discovery but of slavery and colonialism that impacts the lives of Native Americans today. Today, due to "discovery of the New World," quarter of all Native Americans live in poverty, and suicide among youth living in reservations are almost twice the national average.
Furthermore, Columbus' expeditions involved horrific brutality, violent-rule, slavery, and the introduction of diseases that native peoples did not have the immunity to defend against. That we celebrate Columbus Day still is profoundly ignorant, disrespectful, and hurtful to Native Americans, and any people whose ancestors were impacted by European colonialism and slavery.
Recently, the city of Los Angeles removed Columbus Day and replaced it with Indigenous People's Day. So should we.
Chef Bun Lai,
Miya's Sushi,
68 Howe Street, New Haven, CT, 06511
Please reach out to Mayor Harp and tell her to remove Columbus Day as a holiday in New Haven:
Mayor Harp's email: [email protected]
Mayor Harp's office phone number: (203) 946-8200
Mayor Harp on Twitter: @MayorHarp
Mayor Harp on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/toni.harp
Updates
October 9, 2017
Reaching this level of support shows that people are finally ready to confront the truth about how we choose to honor our past. The road ahead remains exhausting but knowing I am not fighting this alone gives me the strength to keep pushing forward.
12 Comments
I would rather New Haven honor Manitowese, the person who gave the deed to the colonists of the New Haven Colony. We can commemorate the natives that were here, who either deferred to colonists or were killed. We also should pay more reverence to the Amistad and what it means to help those who have had injustices done to them. New Haven could turn around and be on the right side of history in terms of coming to grips with the nation's history with Native and African Americans.
Italian American heritage does not need Columbus to continue to honor it. If anything it’s an opportunity to rethink our connection to a brutal legacy.
Elm City Wellness
Stop the pale man and his madness✏️
Please stop celebrating a butcher of Native people.
And add Indigenous Persons day. It's literally the least we colonizers can do.
Stop giving this rapist and murderer recogniton.
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Dear Mayor Toni Harp,
It has been a tradition to teach our children about the discovery of "the New World." However, the legacy of Columbus is not of discovery but of slavery and colonialism that impacts the lives of Native Americans today. Today, due to "discovery of the New World," quarter of all Native Americans live in poverty, and suicide among youth living in reservations are almost twice the national average.
Furthermore, Columbus' expeditions involved horrific brutality, violent-rule, slavery, and the introduction of diseases that native peoples did not have the immunity to defend against. That we celebrate Columbus Day still is profoundly ignorant, disrespectful, and hurtful to Native Americans, and any people whose ancestors were impacted by European colonialism and slavery.
Recently, the city of Los Angeles removed Columbus Day and replaced it with Indigenous People's Day. So should we.
Chef Bun Lai,
Miya's Sushi,
68 Howe Street, New Haven, CT, 06511
Please reach out to Mayor Harp and tell her to remove Columbus Day as a holiday in New Haven:
Mayor Harp's email: [email protected]
Mayor Harp's office phone number: (203) 946-8200
Mayor Harp on Twitter: @MayorHarp
Mayor Harp on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/toni.harp
Updates
October 9, 2017
Reaching this level of support shows that people are finally ready to confront the truth about how we choose to honor our past. The road ahead remains exhausting but knowing I am not fighting this alone gives me the strength to keep pushing forward.
12 Comments
This change is very long overdue and we need it now! Indigenous people's day, and stop teaching our kids the myth of Columbus and teach them the truth about history and the still living culture of Native Peoples on this land!!!
I would rather New Haven honor Manitowese, the person who gave the deed to the colonists of the New Haven Colony. We can commemorate the natives that were here, who either deferred to colonists or were killed. We also should pay more reverence to the Amistad and what it means to help those who have had injustices done to them. New Haven could turn around and be on the right side of history in terms of coming to grips with the nation's history with Native and African Americans.
Italian American heritage does not need Columbus to continue to honor it. If anything it’s an opportunity to rethink our connection to a brutal legacy.
Elm City Wellness
Stop the pale man and his madness✏️
Please stop celebrating a butcher of Native people.
And add Indigenous Persons day. It's literally the least we colonizers can do.
Stop giving this rapist and murderer recogniton.
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This change is very long overdue and we need it now! Indigenous people's day, and stop teaching our kids the myth of Columbus and teach them the truth about history and the still living culture of Native Peoples on this land!!!