Change Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples' Day on NEU Academic Calendars

Change Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples' Day on NEU Academic Calendars

Started
June 12, 2020
Signatures: 454Next Goal: 500
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Why this petition matters

Started by Alyssa Koo

Following the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, Ahmaud Arbery, and many more who have lost their lives to senseless violence and systemic racism, Northeastern University has made announcements, held a vigil, and hosted conversations to recognize and honor the lives that were taken through police brutality. Though the university has taken these actions, there is always more work to be done. Though seemingly insignificant, the Office of the Registrar has consistently referred to the day of observance on the second Monday of October as Columbus Day. That needs to change now. This is a call to action to change Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples’ Day on the University’s calendars. 

One of the major tenets of systemic racism is white supremacy. We continue to celebrate the man, among many others, who stole from this country—a man who had no regard for the communities whose way of life and culture were indigenous to this so-called “new world”. 

This was not an isolated event; instead, it had set the precedent for the continuous colonization of Indigenous and Black peoples. Entire Indigenous tribes were broken up, populations dwindling from hundreds of thousands, to a few hundred. These few hundred were not spared—they were exposed to diseases of which they did not have immunity for; their resources were taken to be sold in Europe; their entire way of life was destroyed to satisfy the greed of Europeans and even then, that wasn’t enough. The United States was built on the backs of Black people that were stolen from their homes.

Instead of making efforts to correct past mistakes, the United States government has pushed remaining Indigenous people onto reservations that lack the resources they need for survival. They are denied services for which many take for granted; mortality and disease rates are high; they face discrimination; their rich history is reduced to a few paragraphs in history textbooks in favor of championing white historical figures. 

Rather than honoring the person who had claimed to discover America and consistently exploited indigenous tribes, it serves a greater purpose to honor those who are still suffering the result of unwelcome interactions with Europeans. White people do not make up the entirety of history—their history is written at the expense of others. Make the change: remember those who are more often than not forgotten, instead of the glorified image of a man who exploited and capitalized on thousands of people. 

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Signatures: 454Next Goal: 500
Support now
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