Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples’ Day?
SCREEN MORE THAN A WORD
A growing movement of Americans has come to oppose Columbus Day for sanitizing the legacy of Native American genocide and Western Imperialism and is now pushing for celebrating Indigenous Peoples’ Day instead. Nevertheless, most Americans continue to believe that Columbus Day is a fitting tribute to the man who “discovered” America.
If you’re looking for resources to help your students think critically about these competing perspectives as the holiday approaches on Oct. 8, we highly recommend More Than a Word, a powerful film from Native-American filmmakers John and Kenn Little about the debate surrounding indigenous sports mascots.
Check out the trailer below and please feel free to share!
“Makes crystal clear that the fight against Indian mascots is a central part of the wider struggle of Indigenous people for political, educational, and socio-economic justice today.”
– KEVIN BRUYNEEL, BABSON COLLEGE
