Perched regally on a stone, looking along the Columbia River shore toward her ancestral home, is Ilchee, or Moon Woman. This statue was built to honor the Chinook tribe. But how dedicated really is the country to honoring Indigenous voices?
On Indigenous Peoples Day 2020, a group of civil rights activists marched to Mission San Rafael on Coast Miwok land in California and took down a statue of Junipero Serra, who murdered thousands of Natives. The activists were acting against racism, genocide and the erasure of Indigenous history, but they have been accused of practicing anti-Catholic sentiment. The fact that two of the activists were baptized at Mission San Rafael was completely overlooked.
Activists around the country have been urging District Attorney Lori Frugoli of Marino County to drop all charges against the activists, who are known collectively as the Indigenous Peoples Day Five. Reaching out to the DA and telling her to drop all charges is a good option for any who care about Indigenous rights.
