Washington DC along with several other cities and states across the nation recognized Indigenous Peoples Day instead of Columbus Day. This holiday has been celebrated for over 30 years, South Dakota was the first state to do so in 1987.
But why not Columbus Day?
For centuries, Christopher Columbus has been celebrated in the United States as the person who discovered the New World in 1492. However, this is both wrong and erases the dark history that still impacts the Indigenous community today. The truth is that Columbus was not the first European explorer to discover the Americas. Additionally, he was responsible for the brutal treatment and slaughtering of countless native people, including children. 400 years later, in 1892, Columbus Day was first recognized in school systems across the nation, despite the fact that Columbus never set foot on U.S. soil in his four voyages to the New World.
So, how did Columbus become an American Icon?
During the war of Independence, American revolutionaries looked for a figure to symbolize the rebellious nature of the war, ignoring the brutality against Indigenous people. Italian immigrants in the coming decades would further celebrate him as a hero who shared both their Italian and Catholic identities in a time where these identities were being marginalized. Since then, much of Indigenous history has been omitted from history books.
Why does it matter?
Indigenous People have continued to be erased from American history, and are continually ripped away from their lands and their families for the benefit of colonization and westward expansion. They have been used as mascots for Major League Sport teams, carelessly reduced to caricatures of their culture.
“So if Columbus was a bad person, how can Italians celebrate their heritage?”
There is nothing inherently bad about celebrating any culture. However, we should all reflect on and reevaluate who we cherish as our idols. Christopher Columbus is only one part of the vibrant contributions of Italian Americans. There are many other ways to celebrate heritage while being thoughtful about the impact on other communities.
What should I do as a non-Native person?
Although we should not speak for Native people and their experiences, we should be aware of ways we can help elevate their voices and include them in our conversations. Do we include them in discussions for people of color, or do we default to the other large panethnic groups (i.e. Black/Africana, Latinx/a/o, Asian and Pacific Islanders)? Are we considering inclusive procedures to respect their spiritual and cultural practices, such as smudging? These are just a few examples on how we can move the needle to a more inclusive society.
Upcoming Indigenous Centered Events
November 5th - Mundo Lingo: More Than A Word Film Screening
December 5th - How to Be A Better Ally?: Local Indigenous Communities
Today is the day!
Please join us for Dr. Dena Smith's reading and book signing on Monday, October 14th at 4 p.m. in the AOK Library Gallery at UMBC.
Light refreshments will be served and books will be available for purchase.
See flier for more details!
October is LGBTQA+ History Month. We recognize National Coming Out Day (NCOD) on October 11th. NCOD was founded in 1988 to mark the anniversary of the 1987 March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. This day is a reminder that - in the fight for equality - one of our most basic tools is the power of coming out and sharing our stories.
For over three decades, thousands of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, asexual (LBGTQA) people and allies have celebrated NCOD through marches, informational sessions, photo-booths, speak-outs, parties and so much more. The overall goal is to show our families, friends, colleagues and the world that LGBTQA+ people are EVERYWHERE, living, loving and thriving.
Coming out - whether it is as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer - STILL MATTERS. One out of every two Americans has someone close to them who identifies as gay or lesbian. For transgender people, that number is only one in ten. Visibility creates advocates and is important in the continued fight for equality and representation. Moreover, sharing your story is an essential part of finding your community and being your true authentic self. (Adapted from the Human Rights Campaign, 2018).
Check out this video to understand the coming out process and what you can do as an ally. To improve your allyship skills, please check out our SafeZone Allyship Workshops. For other general LGBTQA+ related questions, please contact Heidy George, Program Associate for Student Diversity and Inclusion at hmg@umbc.edu or lgbtq@umbc.edu.
Come on out and join UMBC in celebrating these upcoming LGBTQ+ events!
Title of your research project: Deciphering Cultural Roles and Social Pressure on Parents of Children with Special Needs
Describe your project: I will be examining what social factors influence decisions made by parents of children with special needs. I will also be looking at how the world around children with special needs is typically regulated by people without special needs and how that may be biased and affect their development and childhood.
Who is your mentor for your project? Dr. Bambi Chapin, Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Health Administration and Policy
How did you find your mentor? Why did you choose them? Dr. Chapin has been my faculty advisor since I transferred to UMBC in fall 2017. In fall 2019, I was in one of Dr. Chapin’s classes and that is when I realized that our research interests were similar. I thought she would be the right person to oversee my project with her extensive knowledge on parent-child relationships and children’s cognitive development.
How did you become interested in this project? I have always been interested in topics like genetics, genomics, heredity, and human history. While trying to narrow down on my future career choices, I was shadowing prenatal genetic counselors. With each case, I wanted to know what was going through the parents’ minds when either there was a high risk for their child having a genetic disease or their child was diagnosed. There seemed to be bountiful layers and possibilities on what affected those parents when it came to making a decision to either get tested to know if the child has a disease for sure, or not to risk doing a procedure that causes a higher miscarriage rate. The variability in parents’ responses is what got my mind wanting to know more on the subject.
What has been the hardest part about your research/what was the most unexpected thing about being a researcher? The most unexpected aspects of this project have been how difficult it is to get permission to conduct qualitative observational research in a medical setting and how effortlessly the subject and focus of your project can change based off the data that is produced.
What has been the most rewarding part? When the parents, siblings, and health practitioners of the children with special needs get a chance to express their thoughts about the subject it is beautiful to watch. It is something that is a huge part of their lives and is also something that they are passionate about, yet they rarely can talk freely about how they feel on the subject.
How will you disseminate your research? I will conduct a PowerPoint presentation at URCAD and plan to publish my paper as a short ethnography.
What is your advice to other students about getting involved in research? Do not be afraid to put in extra work when it comes to your project. It will be a reflection of you and will be a time where you can explore your academic interests in depth.
What are your career goals? After graduating from UMBC, I plan to attain
my Ph.D. in Genetics. I would like to either become a professor or work in the
biological science research industry.
Check out other URA Scholars and their research projects:
Please join us for Dr. Dena Smith's reading and book signing on Monday, October 14th at 4 p.m. in the AOK Library Gallery at UMBC.
Light refreshments will be served and books will be available for purchase.
See flier for more details!