stand out for indigenous people's day?

[Terra]

Hi folks... I'm trying to get a few people to stand out today. Suggested
signs:

- Indigenous People's Day
- Let's stop celebrating genocide
- Decolonize

No takers yet, because it's raining, but people are thinking about it!
So when the rain stops, I'm thinking I'll get a few people in my town
out there... Maybe you, too?

Background:

Let's stop celebrating genocide!
http://www.indigenouspeoplesdayma.org/

For decades, many Native people have been calling for
an end to the public celebration of Christopher Columbus on the
second Monday in October. We have asked that Indigenous Peoples
Day, a day to honor Indigenous Peoples from throughout the
Americas, be declared on that same day because of the date’s
significance.

We consider it a first step toward recognizing the
genocide of millions of Indigenous people and the theft of their
lands that began with the arrival of Columbus. It is a meaningful
symbolic gesture in addressing the pain caused to Native Peoples
by the many years of celebrating Columbus as a hero.

Indigenous Peoples’ Day recognizes and celebrates the heritage
of Native Americans and the history of their Nations. Honoring
Columbus Day celebrates a legacy of genocide and perpetuates
ongoing racism and neocolonialism towards Indigenous peoples.
Columbus did not discover the Americas; you can’t “discover” lands
that are already inhabited. The historical record needs to be set
straight in order to respect the culture, language and traditional
lifestyles of the Indigenous ancestors who existed long before
Columbus’ voyage.

Many American cities and states have already legally
abolished Columbus Day and recognized Indigenous Peoples’ Day in
its place. Enacting an officially recognized Indigenous Peoples’
Day would shed light on the disproportionately higher rates of
poverty, unemployment, and incarceration experienced by Native
Americans, as well as the lack of sufficient federal funding for
education and health care on reservations. The various cultures
and histories of Indigenous people within the United States are
often reduced to harmful stereotypes, offensive mascots, or
virtual erasure. A national holiday can be an opportunity for
both education and celebration.

Massachusetts has long considered itself a beacon of progress
for the United States as a whole, and needs to stop clinging to
the concept of Columbus as a hero. For Massachusetts to become a
truly progressive, inclusive, diverse and equitable state, Columbus
Day needs to be abolished and replaced by Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

Cambridge, Northampton,
Amherst...more:https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2016/10/10/massachusetts-communities-celebrate-first-indigenous-peoples-day/vWyEpQd6MQtYenY0pYH2ON/story.html


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Terra

~*~*~*~
Terra Friedrichs
+1 978 808 7173