Things That Matter

People On Twitter Are Dropping Real Christopher Columbus Knowledge For Indigenous Peoples Day

By October 9, 2017 at 4:12 pm
@Olivia_Graciela / Twitter

It’s Indigenous Peoples Day in some states and cities around the country, with many observers celebrating the native history and peoples of the United States. If you don’t know, the holiday has become an alternative to another national holiday known as Columbus Day. Christopher Columbus and his dark history in this country has very powerful and negative sentiment among Native Americans because of the violence, disease, genocide and mass raping inflicted on indigenous people after his arrival.

It is because of this violent history that cities like Seattle, Minneapolis and, as of just recently, Los Angeles, voted to no longer observe Columbus Day, instead choosing to recognize Indigenous Peoples Day to honor those who first called this land home. Here’s how people on Twitter are celebrating this growing holiday.

There is an outpouring of support and recognition of indigenous people today.

People are sharing images with maps to show the indigenous tribes and where they lived prior to European colonization.

Some cities, according to The Boston Herald, celebrate both Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples Day on the same day. However, as of this year, 22 cities and counties have formally adopted Indigenous Peoples Day as a recognized holiday, including Los Angeles (city and county), Salt Lake City and Austin, Texas.

Several celebrities have thrown their voice and support behind Indigenous Peoples Day.

CREDIT: @LaurenJauregui / Twitter

“#ColumbusDay has for generations commemorated the brutal systematic murder, rape, destruction, displacement and enslavement of the Native Peoples of the Americas,” wrote Fifth Harmony’s Lauren Jauregui. “Columbus did not discover uninhabited land, he discovered tribes of humans who had been settled here for thousands of years; years of tradition, connection, culture and ancestry.”

People are giving little history lessons about Indigenous Peoples Day and how it started.

South Dakota made the decision in 1990 to make the second Monday of October Native American Day.

People are using pop culture to proclaim why they support Indigenous Peoples Day.

Even Janet from “The Good Place” gets it.

And some are just saying exactly what they think about Christopher Columbus.

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But, largely, people are showing off their indigenous heritage today.

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There are photos of Indigenous Peoples Day parades in different cities in the U.S.

Beautiful.

And others are sharing photos of their families dressed in traditional clothing over the years.

#HappyIndigenousPeoplesDay


READ: He Is An Indigenous Rapper Who Is Dropping An Album And Suing The Government To Fight Climate Change At The Same Time

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Selena Gomez Is Holding Tech And Social Media Accountable After Trump Mob Shuts Down Congress

Things That Matter

Selena Gomez Is Holding Tech And Social Media Accountable After Trump Mob Shuts Down Congress

By January 7, 2021 at 2:15 pm
BY  | January 7, 2021 AT 2:15 pm
VALERIE MACON / AFP via Getty Images

A pro-Trump mob stormed Capitol Hill Jan. 6 following months of President Donald Trump and his allies attacking the 2020 elections. Selena Gomez, like most Americans horrified by the attack, spoke out on social media about what happened. She made it clear that part of this falls on tech companies and social media companies.

Selena Gomez called out social media and tech companies for enabling hateful rhetoric.

President Donald Trump and his supporters have used social media to spread misinformation since he was elected in 2016. Americans have watched as President Trump used Twitter to spread falsehoods and conspiracy theories. There have been so many debunked claims that President Trump and his allies have spread with no consequence.

Recently, Twitter started to flag some of President Trump’s tweets as disputed or misleading. It was the first time a social media platform did something that checked President Trump and his rhetoric.

People quickly came to Gomez’s side to uplift her statement.

President Trump has a long history of hateful and dangerous rhetoric on social media. He has misled her supporters with false statements and has incited violence. The president has defended white supremacists on multiple occasions and even retweeted a video of a man shouting white power.

Social media platforms are finally muzzling President Trump with bans and suspensions.

Twitter has put the president on a temporary suspension after he incited the crowd that breached Capitol Hill. Meanwhile, Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg enhanced the original 24-hour ban to a indefinite ban that will last at least until President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration. However, people think it is a little too late for these actions.

“Disinformation and extremism researchers have for years pointed to broader network-based exploitation of these platforms,” Sen. Mark R. Warner, D-Va., said in a statement. “As I have continually said, these platforms have served as core organizing infrastructure for violent, far right groups and militia movements for several years now – helping them to recruit, organize, coordinate and in many cases (particularly with respect to YouTube) generate profits from their violent, extremist content.”

What happened Jan. 6 at the nation’s Capitol was avoidable, but it’s clear who incited this violence.

Congress has officially certified President-elect Biden’s win. What should have been a quick process to certify an election turned into a horrifying scene. It is a day that will always define President Trump’s legacy.

READ: Far-Right Trump Supporters Violently Storm The US Capitol Forcing Lockdown

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FacebookPresident TrumpSelena GomezTwitterWhite Supremacy

A Native American Veteran Shared a Video of Himself Being Tased By a Park Ranger on Sacred Grounds in New Mexico

Things That Matter

A Native American Veteran Shared a Video of Himself Being Tased By a Park Ranger on Sacred Grounds in New Mexico

By January 5, 2021 at 11:40 pm
BY  | January 5, 2021 AT 11:40 pm
Screenshot via hou5edm/Instagram

Recently, a video went viral of a New Mexico park ranger tasing a Native American man that sparked a conversation about the right non-Indigenous government authorities have to exert over Indigenous Americans.

Last Sunday, a Native American man named Darrell House shared a video of himself screaming in agony and calling for help as a park ranger tased him.

In the four-minute long clip posted to Instagram, House screams for help and writhes in agony on the ground as the unnamed park ranger continuously uses his taser on him. The woman recording the altercation repeatedly yells “What are you doing?” at the ranger while the ranger continues to demand that House show him his ID.

House, who grew up on a reservation and is of Navajo and Oneida descent, wrote a lengthy caption describing in detail what had transpired.

House wrote: “Today 12/27/2020, I was tased for being off trail at the Petroglyphs. I come here to pray and speak to my Pueblo Ancestor relatives. Even though I’m Navajo and Oneida, I honor this land.”

“Here, you will see a white man abuse his power. Both men pulled tasers on me after the first 1 couldn’t keep me down. This could have been a civil interaction. The law doesn’t work for the Indigenous. The government doesn’t give a shit about us. This was uncalled for. You see I’m clearly on the trail. I explained my reason for being off trail (which I shouldn’t have to. If anyone has the right to be off trail and wander this land, it’s the NATIVE INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY!”

“I didn’t feel I needed to identify myself for doing absolutely nothing wrong.
I’m traumatized. My left leg is numb and still bleeding. [My dog] Geronimo is shaking and hasn’t stopped. I’m shaking.”

Darrell House, who is also a military veteran, added: “I’m good people, the Marines I served with would agree. The many people I’ve crossed paths with–you know me.”

In response to the public outcry, the National Park Service said they were “investigating” the incident.

The National Park Service says that House was cited for walking off-trail at Petroglyph National Monument. House does not deny the claim, but says that walking where he wants to on sacred indigenous grounds is an ancestral right.

“Nature is what we’ve been worshipping … and protecting it has always been our job,” he told NBC News. “I am Native, you know. I have rights to this land. I have rights off the trail.”

House also doesn’t deny refusing to identify himself to the park ranger. “I didn’t see a reason to give my identification,” he said. “I don’t need to tell people why I’m coming there to pray and give things in honor to the land. I don’t need permission or consent.”

The local Albuquerque government has since become involved, releasing a statement that said the incident had been “elevated to the Federal investigation level”.

City Councilor Cynthia Borrego wrote that the incident was “troubling” and “uncomfortable” to watch and that her officer “recognizes and supports the investigation into any indigenous rights that may have been violated as a result of the actions taken in this unfortunate incident.”

The statement concluded by reiterating that Native Americans have the right “to practice their cultural beliefs as protected by the American Indian Religious Freedom Act and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.”

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Indigenous PeopleNative AmericanNavajoNew MexicoPolice Brutality