A giant banner — reading, “This is Potawatomi land! F–k the KKKolumbus murals!” — was unfurled inside Notre Dame’s campus library on Friday morning as students were studying for final exams.
The message was meant to be a direct jab at school officials, who have refused to remove 12 iconic murals honoring Christopher Columbus, despite a recent petition garnering hundreds of signatures.
Activists from the Michiana branch of the grassroots group Rising Tide — which advocates for climate action and opposes “all forms” of colonialism, capitalism and oppression — claim to be behind the stunt and say it was in direct response to Notre Dame’s stance on the paintings.
“We were talking to indigenous members of the local community, and we realized they were not asking, ‘Should the murals be addressed?’ Instead, they were asking, ‘When will the murals finally be addressed?'” the group explained in emails to The Post.
“We decided to drop a banner in the library as students were studying for final exams and writing final papers,” they said. “We chose this spot so that the banner would not be ignored.”
Noting why people don’t want the murals on campus, the group said: “We know from reading history that Columbus was involved in the enslavement, murder, and genocide of indigenous people. To heal our society, it is important not to honor someone who helped launch centuries of conquest and mass murder in the Americas.”
Hundreds of students, alumni and staff have signed the petition to get the Columbus murals removed over the past week.
The document’s creator likened the 19th Century paintings to “a Confederate monument” — saying they did not deserve to stay on campus “in this era of political divisiveness and a renewed rise of dangerous nationalism.”
Notre Dame did not provide a statement about the Rising Tide banner when reached for comment by The Post on Friday, but a spokesperson did make its stance known on the situation once again.
“The Columbus murals are of historic and artistic value, and the University has no plans to remove them,” said Dennis K. Brown, Assistant Vice President of News and Media Relations for the university.
Many people find the paintings at Notre Dame offensive to Native Americans and want them relocated to a museum or galley.
“These murals are symbols of oppression that do not represent local Native Americans — but yet Notre Dame calls the location ‘A Potawatomi Place,'” explained Julie Dye, a Pokagon Band Potawatomi Elder and descendant of Leopold Pokagon and Simon Pokagon.
“They contribute to the erasure of Native culture by feeding myths of history and perpetuating stereotypes,” she said in a statement. “The original intent does not negate the detrimental impact on the audience—especially the races depicted. Images matter. Teach the truth. Honor Native people by relocating the murals to a museum or gallery.”
Rising Tide says that several local groups have joined up with them in their efforts to get the murals removed, including the IWW GDC Local 26, the Graduate Workers Collective of Notre Dame, and Fossil Free ND.
“White supremacy must be dismantled as part of the fight to preserve life on Earth,” the group said. “We will take further actions in support of indigenous people’s demands to address these racist murals.”