Prior to this Zoom program, I had never heard of Claudio Saunt, nor had I read his works, which highlights the gaping hole in American education about Indigenous American history. Womack eloquently explained the significance of Saunt’s research into the violent history of Native American displacement and how Saunt’s writings were personally valuable to him. Saunt was introduced by Craig Womack, an associate professor of English at Emory of Creek-Cherokee origin. Carlos Museum hosted a Zoom program in which Claudio Saunt, the author of “Unworthy Republic: The Dispossession of Native Americans and the Road to Indian Territory,” discussed his book, the history of Native American displacement and the modern-day impacts of such historical violence. 8, just four days before Indigenous Peoples’ Day, the Michael C. “Columbus Day is not just a holiday it represents the violent history of colonization in the Western hemisphere,” P rofessor of American Indian Studies at Arizona State University Leo Killsback said in an interview with the History Channel. In 1989, Indigenous Peoples’ Day was instituted as a counter-celebration movement to celebrate Native American history, people and culture, instead of glorifying Columbus. For most, Columbus Day was a day to celebrate “American pride” and not having school. While I was lucky enough to have teachers and parents who highlighted the violent and historically-accurate context of Christopher Columbus and the colonization and enslavement of Native Americans, I know that many American children did not. I remember when we had Columbus Day off every year in elementary school.

Unworthy republic claudio saunt