2024-03-29

US History: We need to acknowledge the violence of white settler colonialism and slavery

For those of us in the US acknowledging the truth of our own history is not something often taught in schools nor encouraged in our culture generally. The truth is not the wholesome tv show Little House on the Prairie that I grew up watching. It's a violent truth and we should reckon with it.

Settler colonialism - Wikipedia

Settler colonialism occurs when colonizers invade and occupy territory to permanently replace the existing society with the society of the colonizers.

Settler colonialism is a form of exogenous domination typically organized or supported by an imperial authority, which maintains a connection or control to the territory through the settler's colonialism.

Learn about the Indigenous people on whose land you occupy via Native Land Digital.

Learn about Territory Acknowledgement:

Territory acknowledgement is a way that people insert an awareness of Indigenous presence and land rights in everyday life. This is often done at the beginning of ceremonies, lectures, or any public event. It can be a subtle way to recognize the history of colonialism and a need for change in settler colonial societies.

I live on the traditional territory of:

• 𐓏𐒰𐓓𐒰𐓓𐒷 𐒼𐓂𐓊𐒻 𐓆𐒻𐒿𐒷 𐓀𐒰^𐓓𐒰(Osage)
• O-ga-xpa Ma-zhoⁿ (O-ga-xpa) (Quapaw)
• Očhéthi Šakówiŋ
• Kaskaskia
• Kiikaapoi (Kickapoo)