A Native American activist at a “vigil” outside a Covington diocese in Kentucky Tuesday attacked national borders as “white supremacist tools of oppression.”
“Wearing that hat is a symbol of hatred on Native land. I do not care how you want to try to excuse that. When a president runs on a racist agenda–a white supremacist agenda, you are supporting white supremacy when you are supporting him. There is no excusing that,” the activist, name Carolina Castoreno-Santana said of the Covington students.
“It is not even about political lines. It has nothing to do with that. This is the most openly racist president since Andrew Jackson in our history. No wonder that that is his hero who he idolizes. Another thing that is important because, what’s going on right now? Why is our government currently shut down? Because of a stupid border wall.”
“Let me tell you this: borders are a white supremacist tools of oppression, created by the invaders of this land. We did not have borders prior to colonization.”
“The Mexicans and Central Americans who are seeking asylum in this country are indigenous. Many of them speak their indigenous languages still. For the people that are here, the descendants of invaders, and who benefit from white supremacy on a regular basis, to determine whether or not indigenous people can migrate on their own land, is the epitome of white privilege.”
Native American activists held a vigil in Kentucky nearby Covington Catholic High School Tuesday following a social media campaign targeting minor students after they allegedly “mocked” a Native American man who approached them and began chanting and beating a drum in their faces.
The media and Hollywood exploded with hate and calls for doxxing after this incident, but the video footage proves that the students did not in fact target the man and were actually the victims of racist rhetoric, when one activist told them, “You white people go back to Europe where you came from! This is not your land!”
Castoreno-Santana also said, “It is okay to admit that you are wrong. It is okay to admit that you have been bamboozled by your racist president,” she said. The activist also said that she is not a Christian because it is not an indigenous faith, but then also said that she still thought Catholics had “more class” than evangelical Christians.
The activist also blasted people who weren’t trying to hold the group of students “accountable.”
“Saying that ‘These are just high schoolers,’ is just like the saying ‘Boys will be boys.’ And we’re not accepting that in this day and age anymore either.”
“The issue is that they need to be educated. It’s not to demonize these kids, but they need the opportunity to be educated, and to come out from the racist upbringing that they’ve had,” she also said.
Watch the full live stream of the vigil here.