z
-EDITORIAL-
•
00 y ar ince
h r Columbu
Ily 1 .,. _
The tr gte for hum n
ri ht nd fr edom i toric 1-
Iy h been to brei myth
th t h ve been con idered
popuJ rly to be true. One
uc myth i th t Chri tophcr
Columbu "dl covered
they have 10 t .igtu of thc
truth - the p in of 0 many
people who live on the con­
tinent."
v' nee rna ring the SOOth
, nru vcr ary of Chri toph r
Columbus fin I nding in the
c tcrn hcmi pre. e rc
c II d to revie our full his­
tory. reflect upon it. nd acj
people of r· ith mindful of the
'i nificancc of 1492.
IRO ICALLY. the
government of thc United
State • Mexico. Canada. the
Dominican Republic. and
other are now planning a
multi-million dollar cclebra­
tion of 1992 being the SOOth
Anniver ry of Columbus nd'
hi "arrival." The text of the
arion l.council of Churches
rcsot ution is instructive:
- For the indigenou
people of the C ribbean is­
land. Chri topher Columbus"
inv sion marked the begin-,
ning of slavery nd their even­
tu I genocide.
- For the indigenou
people of Central America,
the result wa slavery,
genocide and exploitation
leading to the pre ent struggle
for liber tion.
We gree with the ti
Council of Churches, rather
than celebrating the sig­
nific nee of 1992. it hould be
a time of truth-telling. repen­
t nee, reconcili tion and a
time for rea' erting a common
commitment to the freedom.
ju rice, nd self-determine­
tion for all people of t�i
orld.
T'Il • P .. :OPLE lour
churches and communi tie
no 100 at the ignific nee
o the event in different w ys.
Wh t reprc cnted ne ne of
freedom. hope and oppor­
tunit for orne a the oc­
ca 'ion for oppre ion.
degr d tion nd genocide for
others.
For th • church this i ' not
tim for cclcbn lion hut a time
for commuted pi n of ction
en uring th t rhis " iros"
mom nt in history not con­
tinue to co merle Ily co t the
p inful peers of the
Ameri an hi tory of r ci m."
The Reverend George
Tin cr. live American
theolo i n, ddre cd the a­
tion I Council of Churche s-
embly and c lied the rrival
of Columbu n in ion lh t
re ulted in the I ve ry and
enoeide of n rive people."
Ti n e r t ted. It American
people h ve 0 dige ted the
myth of American hi tory that
rn
P.O.