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The Vanderbilt Hustler

The official student newspaper of Vanderbilt University.
Since 1888
The official student newspaper of Vanderbilt University

The Vanderbilt Hustler

The official student newspaper of Vanderbilt University.
The official student newspaper of Vanderbilt University

The Vanderbilt Hustler

The official student newspaper of Vanderbilt University.

STAFF EDITORIAL: Vanderbilt needs to denounce Columbus Day

Seattle%2C+Washington%2C+USA+-+October+12%2C+2014%3A+Protesters+block+the+4th+Avenue+downtown+corridor+street+in+Seattle%2C+holding+a+large+sign%2C+in+protest+against+Christopher+Columbus+and+the+establishment+of+Columbus+Day.+Getty+Images.
Getty Images
Seattle, Washington, USA – October 12, 2014: Protesters block the 4th Avenue downtown corridor street in Seattle, holding a large sign, in protest against Christopher Columbus and the establishment of Columbus Day. Getty Images.

Content warning: sexual assault, violence

This year, Nashville decided to join other progressive communities like Charlottesville and Austin in denouncing Columbus Day. Mayor Megan Barry signed a proclamation that declared the second Monday of October “Indigenous Peoples’ Day.” In doing this, she acknowledges the native genocide and places the culture of indigenous people over the myth of Columbus.

For a long time, Christopher Columbus has been seen as a symbol of the American Experiment. He was a determined explorer who wouldn’t take no for an answer. He willed his way into unchartered territory. He is responsible for our presence on this continent. Yes, the romantic image of Columbus can be seen as a noble manifestation of this nation’s spirit.  

A holiday for Columbus is a slap in the face to indigenous people whose ancestors were murdered by Columbus

But romance is not reality. And the reality is that Columbus and his men were murderers, rapists and pedophiles. In his chilling book “American Holocaust,” David Stannard describes the savage acts that these “heroes” committed. Live people were fed to dogs, their entrails and limbs torn apart. The dogs became so accustomed to eating humans that the bodies of indigenous people were sold at markets. The settlers would take a cut of meat and feed it to their beasts.

Along with hunting down people for sport, Columbus’s men had no qualms about stealing the bodies of the women and children. Mass rapes were ubiquitous. Moreover, these rapists are cited as preferring children–some as young as nine and ten years old. The creatures terrorizing the coasts were so feared that villages often executed mass suicides so as not to face the horror of the invaders.

Are we okay with statues and parades celebrating a rapist? A murderer? If Columbus were alive today, he would not be memorialized. He would be a national villain, making Ted Bundy and Jeffrey Dahmer look tame. We wouldn’t deify them. It would be an insult to the people they murdered. Likewise, a holiday for Columbus is a slap in the face to indigenous people whose ancestors were murdered by Columbus and people like him.

That is why Megan Barry decided to recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day. And it is also why Vanderbilt’s silence on the matter is problematic. Yes, an indigenous professor was invited to talk about the indigenous genocide. But Vandy needs to go further. The Native Americans in Tennessee Interacting at Vanderbilt called on the administration to join other major institutions like Brown, Cornell and Syracuse in implementing Indigenous Peoples’ Day. If it does not answer this call, it will demonstrate that Vanderbilt cannot take the time to right wrongs and show empathy towards its indigenous students.

When October rolls around next year, we hope that Vanderbilt will stand against the actions of predatory settlers and stand with indigenous people.

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About the Contributor
Staff editorials are written in by any member of the Editorial Board, but serve to represent the views of the Editorial Board, and are therefore representative of the official Hustler opinion. These pieces serve to express the views of the paper on controversial topics—either on campus, within our country, or around the world—that the Editorial Board feels strongly about. The author for these pieces is listed as The Editorial Board. In order to publish a staff editorial, the piece must be signed off by the Editorial Board by an outstanding majority.

Comments (3)

The Vanderbilt Hustler welcomes and encourages readers to engage with content and express opinions through the comment sections on our website and social media platforms. The Hustler reserves the right to remove comments that contain vulgarity, hate speech, personal attacks or that appear to be spam, commercial promotion or impersonation. The comment sections are moderated by our Editor-in-Chief, Rachael Perrotta, and our Social Media Director, Chloe Postlewaite. You can reach them at [email protected] and [email protected].
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James Love
6 years ago

Talk about revisionist history, the author of this disgraceful article has taken it upon himself/herself to rewrite the entire historical account of Christopher Columbus. The author’s entire account is strewn with lies and damn lies. I guess the author takes a play out of Senator Meachum’s’ playbook from the movie Shooter:. “The truth is whatever I say it is.”

B
Ben
6 years ago

Do you realize how absurd this sounds, hunting people for sport – you all fell for revisionist propaganda, just because it fits your anti-American ideas doesn’t mean its true. Also, most of the Muslims in Spain were removed during the Reconquista in the 13th century, so it is doubtful that the Spaniards that accompanied the Italian Columbus would have a taste for raping 9 year olds.