by Lindsay Mohler October 12, 2020
{Image Description: Dark pink text that reads: “Indigenous Peoples Day”. A background that includes a wooden Shaman drum (Hand drum) that has a drum beater (similar to a drum stick or mallet, but has fringe on the end) sitting on top of it. The drum head itself is off-white with light wood. It has two drawings on it in black; one being an animal paw. The other one is covered by the drum beater. The drum beater has brown leather tied around it, crossed, with a yellow handle at the end of it.} Today is Indigenous Peoples Day. Indigenous Peoples Day was formerly known as Columbus Day. Columbus was not a saint. He was judged by his contemporaries as a cruel, brutal tyrant. He was also deposed from his position in government in Spain’s colonies for his cruelties. Many Americans have painted Columbus in a good light for our American History. “Indigenous Peoples’ Day can’t fully address the erasure of Native American history from public education on its own. But it offers a focus to this history in schools, where many history textbooks leave out Native Americans or sanitize white colonizer’s treatment of them.” –Becky Little, History.com Indigenous Peoples Day started in 1991 as a way to acknowledge Indigenous people who live in the United States. “Since 1991, dozens of cities, several universities, and a growing number of states have adopted Indigenous Peoples’ Day, a holiday that celebrates the history and contributions of Native Americans. Not by coincidence, the occasion usually falls on Columbus Day, the second Monday in October, or replaces the holiday entirely. As of 2020, the holiday is observed by the states of Minnesota, Alaska, Maine, Louisiana, Oregon, New Mexico, Nevada and Vermont, as well as South Dakota, which celebrates Native Americans’ Day, and Hawaii, which celebrates Discoverers’ Day.” -Becky Little, History.com Indigenous folks are just as important as as every other ethnic group and just as valuable to society. It is important to understand this in acknowledging them. Racism is a continuous problem, as there is a lot of implicit bias in education and in the workplace, as well as other places. FAA understands that racism is a continuous problem in the United States. Please take time for yourself if you are Indigenous today and remember that you matter just like everyone else here. If you are not indigenous, take the time to learn about your local indigenous culture, as there are many.
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