The priest, Father Damien, a Belgium-born 19th-century priest dedicated his life to treating lepers in Hawaii until the disease finally took his life fifteen years later.
Why would anyone consider him to be worthy of a statue?
According to AOC, a man who dedicates his life to treating people with a debilitating and contageous disease, a disease which was so bad to have insured the phrase ‘what, am I a leaper?’ is a prime example of colonialism and white supremacy. Does she feel like his accomplishments pale in light of hers?
“This is what patriarchy and white supremacist culture looks like! It’s not radical or crazy to understand the influence white supremacist culture has historically had in our overall culture & how it impacts the present day,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
. @AOC calls the statue in the US capitol building of Father Damien, a canonized saint in the Catholic Church, a part of “white supremacist culture.”
— John Gage (@johnrobertgage) July 31, 2020
Father Damien died of leprosy after spending his life serving others who had the disease. pic.twitter.com/NVnfCN7EVK
AOC needs to do a little research before speaking again!
