There are lots of good and important points in this piece on colonialism but it's JARRING that it never mentions the existence of the American colonies/territories. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/27/opinion/decolonization-statues.html#click=https://t.co/HzjSfnJoRa

To be fair, the piece eventually comes around to its main point, which is *European* colonialism and the need for reparations and restitution.

But there's so much set-up before that, so much discussion of the history and modern-day impact of colonialism—the broad context.

There's a mention of Standing Rock, for example. Because, well, colonialism is still so little-discussed in the USA that you need to provide some background.

So why on earth would you skip **American colonialism**?

That omission is so common and absolutely disheartening every single time.

The highlighted line here is intended to be about Europeans waking up to their own history, but it also sums up the gaping hole in this piece: ignoring the colonialism *right here*

The discussion of protesters tearing down statues also skips right over all the Columbus statues that have come down in the USA. That's about colonialism, too!

I get that you can't include All the Things in an op-ed. You need to focus your ideas. Fine. Good. But to talk about all these issues without even a cursory mention of the U.S. territories is harmful IMO. It continues the erasure of these places from the national conversation.

And the thing is, there are only so many times national media outlets will discuss colonialism. When a subject is out of the spotlight so much, that makes it all the more important to get it right—or at least not omit an important piece—when it does get into the public eye.

Because the NYT probably isn't going to run another op-ed on colonialism for a while. Which means the gaps in this piece won't be filled in this particular high-profile forum anytime soon.

That doesn't take anything away from the important arguments it DOES make. Colonizers need to reckon with their past and make amends. Bring on the reparations.

But that's not just an issue for Europe to sort out with its current and former colonies. It's here, in the USA.

Anyway. It's late, I need to sleep. But just a reminder, for anyone who needs it: the USA has colonies. Right now. Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands. Don't forget them.