Monday at the Frank LaMere Native American Presidential Forum in Sioux City, IA, 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Marianne Williamson vowed to remove a painting of President Andrew Jackson from the Oval Office.
Days after his inauguration, President Donald Trump chose a painting of Jackson to be displayed.
Discussing America’s treatment of Native Americans, Williamson said, “I want people of the United States to come to understand that what occurred on this planet was one of the great evils of history, but that I believe in redemption for nations as well for individuals.”
She continued, “We can atone. We can make amends. And if and when I’m president of the United States, we will. We will begin by taking that picture of Andrew Jackson off the wall of the Oval Office. I am not a Native American woman, but I find it one of the greatest insults. You will not be insulted.”
She added, “Your people will be lifted to the level of partnership that takes us beyond the dominator model of history that white Europeans brought to this continent to begin with. We can begin again. Not with white people dominating on any level and fixing what has been broken, and telling you what is wrong and learning from you what is wrong and doing something here to make it different and doing something there to make it different we will go much further from the depth of my heart and on behalf of the American people I will apologize and I will ask your forgiveness, and I will ask you to join in a new era of American history as partners on this sacred land.”
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