The video excerpt of Harris utilized by the Trump marketing campaign to again up their assault was footage of the vp’s remarks in 2021 earlier than the Nationwide Congress of American Indians at their 78th annual conference.
“Since 1934, every October, the United States has recognized the voyage of the European explorers who first landed on the shores of the Americas,” Harris mentioned. “But that is not the whole story. That has never been the whole story.”
She famous that the exploitation that got here with the arrival of figures like Christopher Columbus “ushered in a wave of devastation for Tribal nations—perpetrating violence, stealing land, and spreading disease.”
“We must not shy away from this shameful past, and we must shed light on it and do everything we can to address the impact of the past on Native communities today,” Harris mentioned.
The historic document reveals that Harris’ characterization of historic occasions is correct. Consultants estimate that tens of millions of indigenous folks had been killed within the strategy of colonization, whereas many others had been kidnapped and brought as slaves. Many had been sexually assaulted.
Native American activists have lengthy known as for official recognition of Indigenous Peoples Day as a part of a long-term venture to right the historic document, particularly the whitewashing of colonialism that has occurred.
President Joe Biden is the primary president to challenge an official proclamation acknowledging the vacation. Moreover, it was beneath the Biden-Harris administration that the primary Native American cupboard secretary, Inside Secretary Deb Haaland, was nominated and confirmed.
The White Home additionally issued a proclamation on Columbus Day, which celebrates “the proud heritage of Italian Americans in our Nation, whose contributions and character have shaped our country’s soul.”
Since Harris entered the presidential marketing campaign, she has made outreach to Native American communities a significant factor of her try to safe votes.
In distinction, Trump has a historical past of hostility and bigotry towards Native Individuals, which is consistent with his method to different minority communities. Trump confronted criticism for rolling again insurance policies and laws meant to help Native Individuals, together with safety of tribal land.
Trump’s destructive stance goes again to the times earlier than he was a political determine. He financed promoting that claimed members of a tribe in New York had been cocaine traffickers and claimed in testimony that dark-skinned Native Individuals had been misrepresenting their tribal ancestry.
In a radio interview, Trump mentioned, “I think I might have more Indian blood than a lot of the so-called Indians that are trying to open up the reservations.”
Trump’s rhetoric was a part of a marketing campaign to oppose growth of Native American casinos. Trump operated a resort firm that owned a number of casinos, together with the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic Metropolis. Like many different Trump enterprise ventures, the corporate filed for chapter and was later bought off.
