The recognition of the holiday that celebrates Christopher Columbus has become increasingly controversial over the last couple of decades with many pointing to the atrocities suffered by indigenous North American people after Columbus’ discovery of the New World.
One teacher in Detroit made her thoughts about Columbus Day clear on Monday by wearing a shirt to school that read, “Columbus was a murderer.” The fashion choice quickly sparked controversy.
“I wanted to wear this shirt to spark discussion,” Emma Howland-Bolton, a teacher at Clippert Multicultural Magnet Honors Academy, told Detroit TV station WXZY.
Well, Emma, mission accomplished.
The shirt didn’t just spark discussion with her students, but the community at large, many of whom thought the murderer shirt was in bad taste on Columbus Day or, according to Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
The school’s administrator reportedly asked the woke teacher to change into something less murder-y.
“I was informed that my shirt was my opinion, and I kind of countered that, actually, it is a fact,” the defiant teacher told the TV station.
Howland-Bolton didn’t check with school officials on whether the murder shirt would be a good idea. It wasn’t pre-approved, and sweatshirts are not part of the staff’s business casual dress code.
The fact of the matter is that Columbus was a deeply conflicted and imperfect man. In his journal, it is clear that he was grieved by and openly condemned the crimes against humanity that happened under his watch. Although his lamentation doesn’t absolve him of his decision to fulfill his agreement with Spain, his internal conflict shows a side of the voyager that his detractors don’t want to be revealed.
Unfortunately, critics of Columbus are too quick to condemn him by his flaws and, in turn, too resistant to acknowledge his accomplishments. Students have the mental capacity to both excoriate his faults and praise his achievements. The fact that a teacher is selectively editing history and judging by today’s standards the giants who paved the way while ignoring his incredible accomplishments is deeply disturbing.
WXZY points out that Howland-Bolton will not be disciplined.
Watch the video below for more details:
Source: OpposingViews, Daily Mail, WXZY
