A Genocide Museum

 

A Genocide is the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious or national group.

It is estimated that the population of North America prior to the arrival of Columbus was around 12 million. Four centuries later, the tribal peoples of North America were reduced to about 237,000.
The near destruction of native the peoples in North America was brought about by a deliberate and systematic policy driven by greed.
Americans have created a history that makes heroes of mass murderers. History is always written by the victors. Slaughters and massacres are glorified as the will of God and "Manifest Destiny". Beautiful human beings were vilified in order to carry out the most horrible and inhumane deeds.
Americans must come to terms with their genocide.
In the United States, we have a Holocaust Museum near the National Mall in Washington D.C. This is certainly a great thing to remember those that perished at the hands of the Nazis. But we need a genocide museum right there in the Nation's Capitol to remember our own barbarism and our cruelty. A place where we can honor those we decimated. A place where we can also make a promise of "Never Again."
A promise that we will stop stealing Native resources, stop poisoning their lands, stop stripping them of their culture. A promise that we will respect their dignity and their sovereignty. It should be a place where the truth is explored and the real history is presented.
A genocide museum will certainly not correct the past, but it will help us honor the truth and a people.  

Grant