Columbus Day is Just Another Day Off - Chris 'Preach' Smith

'Columbus in 1492/set sail to s**t on me an' you...'
- King Farouk(RIP)

Today is Columbus Day in the United States. For all parties
concerned, it is a nationally recognized holiday on the
surface. But its become one of those days where the
only thing you had to look forward to about it was the
fact that it guaranteed a three-day weekend if you were
in school or your job gave you that day off. But this day
never really held any significance for me outside of that.
And why would it?

I remember that old rhyme we used to sing in school
around this time. It wasn't until fifth grade when my eyes
were opened to the real history behind the explorer known
as Christopher Columbus, and how his 'discovery' of the
Americas in the name of Queen Isabella of Spain led to
the seizing of land, and the subsequent elimination and
slavery of the indigenous peoples of the Americas. In
time, Columbus' expeditions also became a driving force
behind the full-blown enslavement of Africans. Finding
that out gave me a lot to think about. Drawing and
coloring pictures of the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria
didn't seem so important after a while. And of course,
sharing a first name with the guy gave me some added
grief. There are few things more annoying than hearing
a couple of ashy-kneed, gum-popping schoolgirls calling
you 'Chhrrrrrrris-topher Columbus' on the schoolbus as
a joke.


The Arawaks.

As I grew up, I began to learn more and more about Mr.
Columbus. How he refused to baptize the remaining Taino
population on Hispaniola because enslaving Christians would
be a sin even though he was an adamant supporter of
slavery. Columbus also was not above using torture as a
means of control during his time against the Tainos, the
Arawaks and even Spanish settlers. It was the complaints
of the settlers that led to his arrest and imprisonment.
On this day, I choose not to celebrate Columbus and what
he did. Instead, I choose to have a moment of silence for
all of those poor people who lost their lives in the name
of colonialism and empire. So today, as you sift through
another round of daytime television, run an errand or
just catch up on some rest, think about them. After all,
today is just another day off but we can spend some time
to reflect on their fate at the hands of Mr. Columbus.