Grade School Teacher Wears 'Columbus Was a Murderer' Sweater on Columbus Day to 'Spark Discussion'

A fifth-grade teacher who was looking to "spark discussion" and wore a sweater to class that read "Columbus was a murderer."

Emma Howland-Bolton is a teacher at the Clippert Multicultural Magnet Honors Academy in Detroit. She said, "I wanted to wear this shirt to spark discussion."

This shirt has brought loads of controversy.

A school administrator asked her to remove the sweater.

"I was informed that my shirt was my opinion and I countered with it is a fact," Howland-Bolton said.

columbus was a murderer sweater

More on the story from Daily Mail:

When Columbus 'discovered' the New World in 1492, millions of people were already inhabiting the Americas. He made four expeditions to the Caribbean and South America over two decades, during that time her enslaved and destroyed local populations. 

That's why there has been a push to change Columbus Day to Indigenous People's Day by cities, states and schools in the U.S. They say its important to move away from glorifying the mistreatment and colonization of Native Americans by Columbus.

The Detroit Public Schools Community District claims the issue first grabbed their attention because the shirt does not follow the official dress code. 

They say sweatshirts are not permitted within their business casual attire. 

Additionally, the the sweatshirt statement was not submitted as part of a pre-approved lesson plan, WXYZ reported.     

Ultimately, Howland-Bolton did not face any discipline. 

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The anti-Christopher Columbus bandwagon has been picking up steam for some time. What are your thoughts on the topic? Let us know in the comments.