That is how I feel most days. On the other days, I also feel like this.
Mount Rushmore, an emblem of history fraught with injustice, etched into the stolen sacred lands of the Lakota Sioux, echoes the pain of the Indigenous Peoples whose sacred lands were exploited to create it. A symbol of the colonialist past, it is a stark reminder of our nation's failures to respect and uphold the rights of those who walked these lands before us.
Gazing upon the granite faces, I see not just past presidents but a legacy steeped in the wounds of systemic racism and bigotry. These were not mere chapters of our history but the very fabric of a nation built on dispossession and hatred.
I do not hate America. Instead, I am angry and frustrated at the deep-seated racism that persists, the silence that allows bigotry to thrive, and the societal wrongs that continue unaddressed.
And yet, looking at Mount Rushmore, I don't just see vile rapists that enslave humans and committed genocide. I also see a challenge. It is a visual call to action, urging us to confront and redress these evils. The monument is a testament to a past we must reconcile with if we strive for a future that does not repeat these wrongs.
Photo: The Bagaye family on Facebook!
ANALISTA DE COMÉRCIO EXTERIOR at COOPSLATE
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