April 26, a workshop will be held to educate all who are interested and willing to learn about historical interactions between the European colonizers of America and its indigenous peoples.
The workshop will be a dramatization that aims to trace and illuminate the lingering effects of the past Doctrine of Discovery, which was adopted by 15th century European Christian nations. This doctrine legitimized colonizers’ seizing of indigenous people’s lands under the guise of discovery and religious expansion, deeming any indigenous peoples “enemies of christ” and commanding the reduction of “their persons to perpetual slavery” by Pope Nicholas V.
To abolish the “roots of injustice” that linger in the Doctrine of Discovery, the United Nations (U.N.) and the World Council of Churches have issued a call through the U.N.’s Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Through this call, as well as the efforts of participants in workshops and conversations such as this, the lingering effects of this doctrine can be targeted in all individuals and communities. Steps can be taken toward a “right relationship,” and with them, the seeds of change will be sowed.
The workshop was created and is currently facilitated by Paula Palmer, the directer of the Towards Right Relationship Project. She is a sociologist, writer and activist for human rights, social justice and environmental protection.
The event will be held in Room 221 of the Yates Gill Union from 7 to 9 p.m. The suggested donation is $20 for non-students, with all proceeds benefiting the Right Relations Project.
Photos by Cassidy Winsor.