Native Pride marches up the Hillside to dispell myth of Columbus












Captions: Left to right are: Jon Perrin, Savannah Howes, Ronny Powell, Alesia Buffalo, and Courtney Cochran.


Jackie Fairbanks, a 6th grader at Woodland Middle School walked beside her father, John Fairbanks. She said, “We aren’t really celebrating the truth.” She thinks Native Americans are treated differently when the truth is not taught.




Last month on Columbus Day while the city hall, and downtown Post Office stood quiet because employees had this legal holiday off, a chant could be heard: “Say it loud! Say it proud! Native pride marching up the Hillside!” The chant was shouted by Native American youth.

It was Mon., Oct. 9. A group of teenagers named Native Youth Agenda led over 144 people on a one-mile march from the library on the corner of Fifth Avenue West and Superior Street to the Washington Center on North Lake Street and Third Street West.

Jackie Fairbanks, a 6th grader at Woodland Middle School walked beside her father, John Fairbanks. She held a sign that said, “Myths of Columbus: He found and discovered America; He is a national hero.” She said she was walking because it was good for native people to get together, “We aren’t really celebrating the truth,” she said of Columbus Day. “We are sort of living a lie.” She also said that when most of America celebrates Columbus Day, “They treat us differently.”

Jon Perrin, a 9th grader at Denfeld, High School said, “We just believe that Columbus did not actually find land. He traveled and discovered (America) and killed natives.

Dana Megenupch said she participated in the march “…to support my people.” She went on to say, “(They) tired to banish us. We need to make people realize that we were here first and to stop trying to demolish us. It will never be done.” As the crowd walked by the Washington Center on Fourth Street she called out to some teenage boys across the street telling them they ought to join their people.

Once inside the Washington Center a large crowd gathered to prepare for a meal. Duluth Mayor Herb Bergson spoke to the group. “This is the last time the City of Duluth will allow a day off for Columbus Day,” he said. Bergson said he was raised to celebrate Columbus Day, but while in college he learned the truth about Columbus. We raised our two sons to know the truth he said, “The man was a slave trader and a butcher, and we can not honor murderers.” He said the whites and black in the room were there to show their support.

After Bergson’s speech the crowd listened to the Lake Vermillion Singers. Bill Howes, a leader with Native Youth Agenda said it was an honor song for “Every single person who lost their life fighting for something they believed in.”
Before the meal, Virgil Sohm said a prayer in his native tongue. The youth served the elders before they themselves could eat.

Bill Howes was one of the adults working with the youth. His wife Edye Howes is the coordinator of Native Youth Agenda and they have a daughter, Savannah, age 13, in Native Youth Agenda. (They also have a daughter Che, age 5) He said the young people choose this issue a couple of years ago and the youth had set a goal of having 250 people show up. By time the event ended with a meal there were 250 people.

Howes said, “It is about the youth standing up and doing something that they thought was important.” He went on to say, “The goal is more than just the march. It is to keep spreading the message. Ultimately, it is important to learn the truth. There are all kinds of events we need to look at from multiple perspectives, not just one person who gets to write the textbook
Rachel Kincaid works with youth every day. She is the executive director of Lifehouse. She said it was good for the youth to learn how to lead an event like they did for the Myth of Columbus Day. “It allows them to know their own strength and power to change things,” she said.