SOME THINGS NEVER CHANGE

Malcom Lagauche

A few years ago, I came across a speech made in 1836, Eulogy on King Philip, written and delivered by William Apess, a full-blooded Native American writer and activist. Apess was sold shortly after birth to a white family because his parents could not afford to bring him up. For the white family, Apess was officially an "indentured servant." After working off his service, Apess educated himself and wrote several books and speeches, Eulogy on King Philip being one of the most well-known. Apess addressed a crowd of descendents of the original Pilgrims who arrived in North America in the 17th century. The venue of the speech was Boston, Massachusetts. One would think that he may have been diplomatic, but the speech was a strong stand against imperialism and racism. It told of the Native American leader and freedom fighter, King Philip (Native name — Metacomet). Much of the speech could be relevant today when speaking of those subjects. I was enthralled by the words I was reading. Not so much because of their relevance in Apess’ day, but because of the similarity of events in Iraq and how they could apply to the exact words that Apess wrote...

continua / continued