Editor’s note: This commentary is by Elizabeth Mariani, an internationally published poet, spoken word artist, teaching artist, mindfulness educator and activist currently living in Burlington. She would like to thank Charles Megeso (Nulhegan-Coosuk Abenaki) for his knowledge, assistance and guidance with this commentary.
[I] am a third-generation Italian-American. My family comes from the Abruzzo region of Southern Italy and arrived in the U.S. and Canada about 100 years ago. I support the removal of Columbus Day with the direct intention of replacing it with Indigenous Peoples’ Day here in Vermont. I support bills H.488 (in the Vermont House) and S.83 (in the Vermont Senate). I support the creation of another day commemorating the important legacy of Italian-Americans. Perhaps we should have a day recognizing the sacrifices and strength of Italian-American women on the anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire on March 25.
Celebrating Columbus harms indigenous peoples. All violence against indigenous peoples must end immediately. We should respect indigenous people and listen to what they are asking of us from protecting the water to removing Columbus Day and replacing it with Indigenous Peoples’ Day. We, as settlers, have an authentic opportunity to embark upon a trajectory which could lead to an overdue healing and further assist decolonization. This decolonization could lead to reconciliation.
Let’s talk about children. Children know when you lie to them. Kids are smart. And if they don’t figure it out who this guy was, they’ll figure it out later and resent being lied to. It’s best to tell children the truth. It is what we expect from them, no? We should lead by example. I was once a child who was raised by school books and filmstrips to believe Columbus was a worthy hero. It is an act of violence to lie to Italian-American children with this Columbus-hero story. Furthermore, it harms Abenaki children and causes Abenaki children social trauma to commemorate the start of a genocide here in the Americas by this murderer. We should make Vermont safer for Abenaki children, for Italian-American children, for all children.
The thing about evolving as a society, is that we, each one of us, have choices. By confronting our own complacency, we can clear space to start a conversation. Many people do not want to have this conversation. The avoidance of this conversation is why there is a formidable resistance against removing Columbus from hero status for Italian-Americans. It’s not because he really represents Italian-Americans. It’s because removing this false hero leads to a vacancy. Within this vacancy lingers some difficult questions — questions about how whiteness fits into our identity and what that whiteness implies, ensures and depends upon. It also leads to questions about why many of us do not speak Italian. It’s easier to bamboozle a people when you separate them from their language and deliberately fracture their culture or maybe even build a mall over their neighborhood. For those still unconvinced, consider the following facts: When Columbus lived, Italy was not a unified nation. Columbus was from Genoa which lies in what is now part of Northern Italy. Most Italian-Americans like myself hail from ancestors from Southern Italy who literally fled Italy because of mistreatment and exploitation from the north. Columbus is not the Italian-American story just like the neverending depiction of mobsters is not who we are.
If you want to take your activism into action to make Vermont safer for all children, you have opportunities to support the original peoples here in Vermont right now. Many local activists have demonstrated to support the Lakota in resistance to the Dakota Access Pipeline declaring “Water is Life.” The takeaway from this evolving resistance movement is a simple request: Come home and seek out the indigenous peoples where you live, ask how you can help and listen. First, as settlers, we must listen.
Here are some simple actions you can take in support of Abenaki:
• Learn who the four recognized Abenaki tribes in Vermont are. The four recognized tribes in Vermont are: Missisquoi, Nulhegan-Coosuk, Elnu and Koas.
• Contact the Abenaki tribes directly.
• Contact your representatives and senators in Montpelier and express support for the laws H.488, S.83, H.399. These laws must be passed in the next session beginning in January. H.488 and S.83 for Indigenous Peoples’ Day to replace Columbus Day here in Vermont. H.399 – Native American Scholarship Fund (Vanity Plates DMV).
• Seek out nonprofits providing bridge-making forums for conversations and actions in support of the original people. Local nonprofits you may want to seek out include the Peace and Justice Center and Wabunowin Dawn Society.
• Express support for the four Abenaki tribes, Indigenous Peoples’ Day (H.488, S.83) and the Native American Scholarship Fund (H.399) on social media and in your walking world (the dinner table, the lunch break at work).
• Write your own op-ed.
