Recap of PRC's Rally Against Columbus Day

October 21, 2004

On October 11, 2004, most Americans celebrated Columbus Day. The Progressive Resource/Action Cooperative (PRC), however, joined organizations nationwide to protest the celebration of the racist legacy of Columbus. The story of Columbus is usually told as a story about discovery, exploration, and human progress. But many forget that it is first and foremost a story about conquest, the rise of capitalism, and the genocide of indigenous peoples. Unfortunately, this violent legacy continues to be enacted to this day: capitalistic motives helped fuel America’s invasion of Iraq, racial discrimination continues despite laws protecting minority rights, and Native Americans are degraded by the offensive stereotypes embodied by the "Chief."

Over 125 people came to the noon rally, held on the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s Quad. Supporters held signs while listening to five speakers including Bess Van Asselt from the PRC, Jason Sizer from the student chapter of the NAACP, Mona Haggag from Muslim Artists Collective, Aaron Ammons from the CU Citizens for Peace and Justice, and Joe Miller from the Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW). Between speeches, participants joined together and yelled chants like “1-2-3-4 We don’t want your “Chief” no more! 5-6-7-8 Racist mascots create hate!” and “President Bush You Can’t Hide! We Charge You with Genocide!”

This event was co-sponsored by: Activist Forum, Anti-War Anti-Racism Effort (AWARE), Champaign County Health Care Consumers, Common Ground Food Cooperative, El Centro Por Los Trabajadores, I-Resist, Illinois Disciples Foundation, School For Designing A Society, Student Chapter of the NAACP, Student Peace Action, Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW), Women's Direct Action Collective.

Thank you to everyone who came out to the event and protested the American tradition of oppression embodied by the racist legacy of Columbus! For a more in-depth account of the effects of Columbus's "discovery" of America, see the first chapter of Howard Zinn’s book “A People's History of the United States: 1492 - present.”

In solidarity,
The PRC