Removing Columbus: A Virtual Workshop Series
presented by NOON (Neighbors of the Onondaga Nation) and WISH CNY (Women of Italian and Syracuse Heritage)
*Please note that participants can register for one or both sessions.*
Session I Monday, March 7, 5:30-7 pm, Goodbye Columbus: Time for Justice, Time for Healing
The Onondaga Nation has a right to be heard in support of the City’s decision to move the Columbus monument. The Circle is within both the Onondaga homelands and the reservation protected by the 1794 Treaty of Canandaigua. In this session, Joe Heath, legal counsel of the Onondaga Nation, will discuss the global history behind Syracuse’s Columbus monument from the 1930’s to present, and focus on the current lawsuit against the city of Syracuse to prevent the city from moving the monument. You will learn more about the Onondaga Nation’s motion for Amicus (friend of the court) in the case and what may happen next depending on Judge Neri’s ruling. The Nation and its citizens have been subjected to 100s of years of colonial destruction and this monument insults the historic trauma of colonialism.
Speaker – Joe Heath, General Counsel of the Onondaga Nation
Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZElcOyqqT4qE9KFKnyQz3qhcSHNZazI7g3P
Session II Thursday March 24 from 7-8:30pm, Why Removing Monuments Matters: Seeking Justice in Syracuse
This workshop will examine the historical impact of monuments as powerful political symbols, and the evolution of shifting attitudes toward removing oppressive statues. Guest speakers will share the success story of the removal of three Columbus monuments in Chicago. The history of the Syracuse monument, controversies that continue to create divisiveness in our community and the long-time activism aimed at removing this symbol of colonialism and racism, will be highlighted. We will conclude with a discussion of how we can continue to support the goal of removing the statue and creating a circle that honors diversity.
Speakers include:
- Anna Tiburzi, (MLA-LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE, ESF/S.U.), whose ESF capstone was, “Monuments and the Politics of Memory.”
- Gabriel Piedmonte, Founder and president of the Italian American Heritage Society of Chicago, dedicated to promoting Italian heritage and progressive values, and which received national press for its support of the removal of Christopher Columbus statues.
- Damayanti Wallace, Co-Founder GoodKids MadCity, a Chicago youth group which formed after the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, and is dedicated to fighting violence and supporting their community during the pandemic, and whose activism aided in the removal of three Columbus monuments.
- Grace Fritzke, (MS, Communities and Identities, S.U./Religion) whose thesis was, “Columbus [as a] Circle And Skä•noñh As An Ellipsis: A Case Study On Shifting The Interpretive Center In Syracuse, New York.”
Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAtfuqgqzMrG9aJoBRNSagkRBODOZdVL1GN
NOON acknowledges that we are on the territory of the Onondaga Nation, council fire of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy.
We are thankful for their stewardship of our environment.
EVENTS:
After More Than 35 Years, Peter Jemison Announces His Retirement as Ganondagan State Historic Site Manager
Virtual Programming- Ten Minute Teachings – Ganondagan
Virtual Tours – Iroquois Indian Museum
Virtual Tours and Educational videos – Seneca Iroquois National Museum
MONTHLY:
NOON Steering Committee Open Meeting, Next meeting March 15th, 7-8:30 PM, virtual. Since new people often have a lot of questions and you will need contact info for the virtual meeting, we recommend contacting Carol Baum , Syracuse Peace Council Staff, or Sue Eiholzer, NOON Volunteer, before the meeting.
FYI:
To aid you in focusing articles are arranged by topic and coded for length (S – short, M – Medium, L – Long) with a designation for Video and/or Audio.
Local
‘I wouldn’t climb that!’ Outdoors club attempts first-ever ascent of ice wall on Onondaga Nation – L w pictures
Culture
For the first time in generations, this tribe in Washington has land – M
Native-Owned Business Spotlight: Red Berry Woman – M
History
Government
Native Hope Announces Major Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Funding – S
The U.S. looks to replace a derogatory name used hundreds of times on federal lands – S
Joe Heath, general legal counsel to the #Onondaga Nation, discusses the ongoing crisis on Cayuga (Gayogo̱hónǫʼ) land – 1 hr audio
Treaties Between U.S., Cayugas Still Exist – M
Check out Halftown Must Go Campaign on Facebook. Follow, like, and share posts from Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫʼ Sovereignty and Rematriation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
Environment
Astrobiologists Suggest the Earth Itself May Be an Intelligent Entity – S
Sports
‘They played snow snake at Madeline Island’ – Indian Country Today – L
NOON RESOURCES:
Because the Syracuse Peace Council office is closed during the pandemic, contact carol@peacecouncil.net so we can arrange to get them to you.
The Doctrine of Discovery: Unmasking the Domination Code film is premised on Pagans in the Promised Land: Decoding the Doctrine of Christian Discovery, a book based on two decades of research by Shawnee, Lenape scholar Steven T. Newcomb. Available to borrow. Contact Carol Baum via email or phone 315-472-5478
Standing on Sacred Ground Videos. Each of the 4 episodes is 60 min. Pilgrims and Tourists, Profit and Loss, Fire and Ice and Islands of Sanctuary. If you have a group of friends or know an organization that would like to view any of these films, please contact Carol Baum via email or phone 315-472-5478.
In addition NOON has organized dozens of educational programs over the past 20 years which are available on line at SPC’s You Tube Channel. Fifteen years ago we coordinated the historic series Onondaga Land Rights and Our Common Future. Check out the videos here.
WITNESS TO INJUSTICE: UNRAVELING HISTORIC NATIVE & U.S. RELATIONS. This inter-active group exercise is a 2 hour teaching tool that uses participatory education to raise awareness of the history of the relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in the part of the world now known as the United States. Through the use of meaningful quotes, and blankets that represent part of Turtle Island (the Western Hemisphere), we explore this shared history that most people rarely learn in traditional settings. We engage in a conversation about the European colonization of Turtle Island in order to deepen our understanding of the denial of Indigenous peoples’ nationhood throughout U.S. History. NOON is offering this exercise to groups, organizations, schools and churches. A good will offering to support NOON’s work is appreciated. If you would like additional information or to schedule a time for a presentation, contact Cindy Squillace
Save the Date
Past NOON newsletters can be accessed at E-Newsletters.
