#ReconsiderColumbusDay… 1,181+ votes… but wait…

On August 7th, we relaunched the “Reconsider Columbus Day” Campaign. Even thought we got over 700+ posts, the “tumblr effect” actually went against us. We only managed to get close to 700+ signatures. There were a lot of factors we need to consider when launching a movement.

However, we didn’t know we’ll inspire someone to launch a re-tooling of Christopher Columbus campaign… but for a different reason.

On White House site, we found the following:

rededicate Columbus Day as Exploration Day.

When Neil Armstrong passed, President Obama said, “Neil was among the greatest of American heroes – not just of his time, but of all time.” He said that the the crew of the Apollo 11 mission in 1969 “carried with them the aspirations of an entire nation”.

“When Neil stepped foot on the surface of the moon for the first time, he delivered a moment of human achievement that will never be forgotten.”

We propose that Columbus Day be re-dedicated as Exploration Day, for the true American spirit is about achieving the impossible through exploration, scientific research, innovation and creativity. America continues to inspire the dreamers, the courageous, the adventurers and the resolute to reach farther, to build greater and to strive to make America that more perfect union.

This new petition did far better than the one we launched. Matter of fact, they managed to over 1,000 votes.

However, we couldn’t add our signature to this, not because it’s a bad idea (it’s a great idea), but more so because it sounds more like an “update” to “modern American know-how” instead of a nod to the natives of this country.

We decided to take our focus off this campaign, not because of the failure, but moreso because we need to learn from our mistakes. To relaunch the same campaign as is will be a wasted effort.

Thanks for the lesson + support. Sorry for the disappointment.

Last Push for at least 10K signatures to Replace Columbus Day

On the official White House petition, we have 600+ signatures. This was started on August 7th and even thought the original reblogged 700+ times within the first 3-4 days, we only recently managed to get at least this much in signatures during the last several weeks.

Recently, the Obama administration responded to a public demand to release the recipe to the official White House beer. Signatures reached? 12,240. That’s all. 

Then we looked at other responses, because we want to see if serious issues get responded to at all. Here’s a sample of items that didn’t reach 25K signatures, but get responded anyway.

We still need an amount above 1K… we figured that 10K might do the trick and it would still be possible to get a response.

We also understand that people outside the US wants to help. So, we have found a Change.org’s petition (which was started last year) and will be promoting these two links.

Feel free to sign both. If you are from the US, we urge you to sign the White House Petition as it’s a directly linked to the White House. (The Change.org’s petitions all congressmen + the White House.)

Let us push this hard until Friday!

(P.S. - We kept seeing “September 6” during the last few weeks, however, we now got until Sept 7 to get the signatures needed. Please, let

Reconsider Columbus Day: 5 Days Left…

On the official White House petition, we have close to 600 signatures. This was started on August 7th and even thought the original reblogged 700+ times, we only recently managed to get at least that much in signatures. 

We were about to give up… until we hear “ale to the chef”

Yesterday, the Obama administration responded to a public demand to release the recipe to the official White House beer. Signatures reached? 12,240. That’s all. 

Then we looked at other responses, because we want to see if serious issues get responded to at all. Here’s a sample of items that didn’t reach 25K signatures, but get responded anyway.

We still need an amount above 1K… we figured that 10K might do the trick and it would still be possible to get a response.

We also understand that people outside the US wants to help. So, we have found a Change.org’s petition (which was started last year) and will be promoting these two links.

Feel free to sign both. If you are from the US, we urge you to sign the White House Petition as it’s a directly linked to the White House. (The Change.org’s petitions all congressmen + the White House.)

Let us push this hard until Thursday!

Reconsider Columbus Day: 500+ Signatues

Reconsider Columbus Day (Updated)

On the official White House petition, we have over 500+ signatures. This was started on August 7th and even thought the original reblog was 700+ times, we only got this much signatures. 

We understand that people outside the US wants to help. So, we have a Change.org’s petition (which was started last year) and will be promoting these two links from now on.

Feel free to sign both. If you are from the US, we urge you to sign the White House Petition as it’s a directly linked to the White House. (The Change.org’s petitions all congressmen + the White House.)

Lastly, please consider writing how you feel about Columbus Day and tagged it #Reconsidercolumbusday so that we can reblog it.

Thank you for your ongoing support. Please reblog and share within and outside of tumblr.

Thank you.

Reconsider Columbus Day: Day 10 Results

Day 10

Total Signatures needed: 25,000

Total Signatures so far: As of this posting, 366.

This petition went up two days ago and managed to get 402. And it reads: Request that the FBI amend the Report. “2011-national-gang-threat-assessment.” To remove Juggalo’s as a hybrid gang.

Re-read that. 2 days. 402 signatures for the FBI to reconsider ICP fans as a non-gang threat. Right…

We’re a long way from 25,000 and we got until 9/6/12.

Please sign the White House Petition and/or the Change.org Petition (if you’re international, this is the only one you can sign).

Lastly, please consider writing how you feel about Columbus Day and tagged it #Reconsidercolumbusday so that we can reblog it.

whatwhiteswillneverknow:

Reconsider Columbus Day (Updated)

On the official White House petition, we have over 300+ signatures. We understand that people outside the US wants to help. So, we have a Change.org’s petition (which was started last year) and will be promoting these two links from now on.

Feel free to sign both. If you are from the US, we urge you to sign the White House Petition as it’s a directly linked to the White House. (The Change.org’s petitions all congressmen + the White House.)

Lastly, please consider writing how you feel about Columbus Day and tagged it #Reconsidercolumbusday so that we can reblog it.

Thank you for your ongoing support. Please reblog and share within and outside of tumblr.

Reconsider Columbus Day (Updated)

On the official White House petition, we have over 300+ signatures. We understand that people outside the US wants to help. So, we have a Change.org’s petition (which was started last year) and will be promoting these two links from now on.

Feel free to sign both. If you are from the US, we urge you to sign the White House Petition as it’s a directly linked to the White House. (The Change.org’s petitions all congressmen + the White House.)

Lastly, please consider writing how you feel about Columbus Day and tagged it #Reconsidercolumbusday so that we can reblog it.

Thank you for your ongoing support. Please reblog and share within and outside of tumblr.

whatwhiteswillneverknow:

Change Christopher Columbus Day to a National Indigenous Holiday

Sign the White House Petition now!

Our fellow followers, SJ Tumblrs and PoC Tumblrs, we need to stand united for a cause. A cause that many have tried, but failed. We will take up the mantle that they left and will give the aboriginals of this country the respect they deserve.

And we will do this by making the Obama Administration reconsider Columbus Day. Why not, you asked? What makes this year different from other years?

It’s an Election Year and tumblr bombing tends to make things happen.

We’re maybe asking for a symbolic change. A change that could be considered a minor win, but is important in order to show that we are the people of the USA and we need to show that we can be forgiving. American exceptionalism be damn!

We asked one follower at random to start a petition. However, it’s not at Change.org. But with the White House.

From now until September 6, 2012, we need 25,000 50,000+ signatures for the petition at “We the People” petition site, targeting the Obama Administration to change the Holiday.

We’re sure there’s 25,000+ tumblr users that are of US origin that will sign. And we’re pretty sure that you can find 1 more friend to sign.

This isn’t a simple “reblog” and that’s it. Write your own posts and tag it “reconsidercolumbusday”. We’re reblog anything within that tag that is related to what we’re doing in a positive matter.

We need reasons why this is important, but not just from us, but from you as well.

You heard all the reasons in the past. Now, it’s go time. Let’s make this year the last year that we hear “Columbus Day Sale!”

White House Petition Link

Tell your friends to sign. Get on Twitter, Facebook and do what you can to spread the word.

Together, we can make history. Let’s go!

(The White House Petition asks only for 25,000 signatures. But why settle for such a low number?)

If you missed this post, here it is again. Reblog so others can sign.

Why We Been Quiet…

Sadly, we are distracted with some matters that need to be taken care of immediately.

Because of this, we will not blog until this personal storm has moved on. So, forgive us if we haven’t been answering our messages. We will when we return.

Before we go on, we noticed a dip with our White House Petition. We “overstand” that some people may not feel that a petition is an “end all” process and may not sign it. We understand that it’s hard to get excited about something people tried, yet failed to do.

We also understand that it’s hard to sign something when there’s a spelling mistake on it. (Our fault, not the creator, since all he did was copy and pasted at a weird hour in the morning)

It shouldn’t stop you from signing.

If you want to do something, you have to fully commit. You can’t say… “oh, I’ll just try a little and if it doesn’t work out, we can at least say it was a good attempt.” We need to keep going until we get 25K signatures. It’s easy to spread the word:

http://bit.ly/Ng8lJ0 - Take this link… post it on Facebook, post it on Twitter, tell your friends to tell their friends.

We know it’s hard.

But wouldn’t it be worth it if the Obama Administration acknowledged the wish? Here’s why we think it’s worth it.

Have you ever heard the phase “strike while the iron’s hot”? Do you know why that phrase is popular? It’s because when the iron is heated, it can be bend easily.

What we just want to accomplish is to get the “iron” hot. The current administration would be the iron. And then, once they mentioned ANYTHING about it, other people will look at it as a chance to “strike” while it’s hot.

We need to bring the heat.

So, please… bring it.

Reconsider Columbus Day: Day 1 Results

We will be addressing FAQs on this page.

The White House petition’s site works differently from other sites. For one, there’s a thresholds of 150 signatures before they allow the petition to be searchable.

Well, after just one day, we passed the threshold and we’re featured on the front page of White House “We the People” petition site!

As of this posting, there’s 171 signatures. Considering that there’s over 500+ reblogs, some might feel defeated. This is a marathon and we have to stay the course until we get the 25K signatures, and then onward to 50K so that we will get acknowledgement from the White House.

So, keep up the good work. However, take this BEYOND tumblr. Tell your friends on other social networks and off the Internet! Every signature helps!

http://bit.ly/Ng8lJ0 - Take this link with you. Every one signature you get brings you closer.

We know it’s a pain to sign up for yet ANOTHER web site. But that’s easily a first world problem we can overcome!

And yes, we know petitions are iffy, but wouldn’t it be worth doing if you hear the Obama Administration at least say “we hear you?” After all, when the Obama Administration says ANYTHING (especially with Republicans looking), you’ll know they will drum up talks again, which will inspire MORE people to finally get this holiday change once and for all!

So if you haven’t done it, sign the petition.

Also, if you have stories to share, tag your story with #reconsidercolumbusday and we’ll share it.

#reconsidercolumbusday

ericahalinski: Reconsider Columbus Day

ericahalinski:

So, let me just start out by saying that I’m white, and I grew up in a super conservative family, and I’m pretty new to all this…social justice…stuff. (That is what it’s called, right? Social justice?) And I’m especially new to the racial/ethnic aspect of it since I am, as previously stated, white, and haven’t ever had to deal with racism first hand. And it took me a long time to recognize that yes, I am privileged because of that. So, I guess what I’m trying to say, is that I probably don’t really know what I’m talking about but I’m going to throw my two cents in anyway, and feel free to correct me if I’m wrong, or offensive, or hurtful. 

That all being said, does anyone else ever…have this sort of weird buzzing feeling that something’s not quite right, but they can’t put their finger on it, so they let it go? That used to happen (and still does) to me, and looking back on it with what I’ve learned in the past months I can see that no, I wasn’t being oversensitive or nitpicky-that the thing that was bothering me, actually was wrong and unfair, and now I can understand why. Some examples: discussions about gay people at church, discussions about religion with gay people, sexist math teachers. All irrelevant to my current point. 

Columbus was one of those things. 

I mean, as a kid, I bought into it. Like, yeah, Columbus sounds legit, cause he got the whole America ball rolling and America’s an awesome place to live, right? It’s so watered down for us. My knowledge of Native Americans by the time I was thirteen was

-Not all of them lived in tipis

-Some of them called corn “Maize”

-They liked feathers and bears and shit

-DREAMCATCHERS

And all of it was past tense, which is pretty fucked up imho.

So then in middle school we start learning about what really happened with Columbus, and it’s kind of disenchanting, you know? Like, this guy was not a hero, he was kind of an asshole. But they didn’t play it that way. They try to tell us about the white people and the natives separately, like “We’re not naming any names, but someone decided to just show up and take over the Americas and treat the people already there like shit.” We weren’t idiots. We made the connection.  

I never had the guts to say that, but someone in class did. Don’t even remember his name, he just commented in class “Wow, Columbus was kind of a douschbag.” 

And you know, immediately the class erupts into various conversations until the teacher gets us to shut the fuck up, but we’re all sitting there thinking the same thing: Was he wrong?

Answer: No, he wasn’t. 

One of my big regrets is that I never listened to that little voice in the back of my head when stuff like that happened. I never bothered to think through. Even if I knew it was wrong, I never went through the process of

-Why is this wrong?

And

-What can we do about it?

And because I never did that, I never spoke up. Because I could never articulate what I thought beyond “Wow, that’s bullshit.”

I do now. And that’s why I’m speaking up this time. 

Look, I like living in America. It’s a pretty good place to live, comparatively. But it’s not perfect. It never has been. And it’s history is seriously fucked up.

You can’t change history. Nothing we do is going to go back in time and undo all the bullshit that helped build this country. But we can change the present, and the future.

Is this really how we want America to be represented? Is that the man we choose to celebrate? To idolize? Are the tales of his alleged heroics really what we want to pass on to our children? 

As long as we keep doing that, we can’t wave our flag and have our Statue of Liberty and say that they stand for freedom and justice. You have to back up those words, those symbols, with actions. 

We need to start celebrating the native people. The ones we so like to ignore. We as white people always try to sweep them under the rug, pretend they don’t exist and none of the shitty things our ancestors did ever happened. But they’re here-even after everything that has been done to erase them, both from the earth and from the collective conscious, they’re still here. Celebrate that unwillingness to fade away. Don’t celebrate the act of ignoring and abusing fellow human beings because it’s “convenient.”

Celebrate America. Celebrate it’s progress. Celebrate the legitimately heroic people in its history. But don’t try to twist its history-our history-into something it isn’t. 

White House Petition Link to get the White House to officially reconsider Columbus Day.

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