Indigenous Peoples’ Day artwork covered by student group, promptly replaced

“We are still here.”

That is the message that students from the North American Indigenous Student Organization (NAISO) chose to leave on the Rock as part of their celebration of Indigenous Peoples’ Day on Monday. After a weekend of camping in People’s Park to fight the erasure of Indigenous people on campus, the group covered the Rock in vibrant colors and depicted a chain of people holding hands.

Before the end of the day, NAISO’s artwork was vandalized. Replacing it was white text on a pitch black background reading “‘Dibs.’ -Columbus 1492.”

The graffiti was an attempt at a joke referencing the arrival of Christopher Columbus to the Americas in 1492. Columbus’ encounter with the New World marked the beginning of European colonization in the Americas, efforts that would ultimately lead to millions of Indigenous people being killed by disease and European conquest, and the forceful dispossession of their land.

The other side of the Rock, where NAISO members painted a dreamcatcher earlier in the day, was also painted over. In its place was an American flag and the name of the group responsible for its depiction, “MSU TPUSA.”

In the following hours, as people learned about the graffiti, several groups took turns repainting the Rock with their own messages. First replacing the fake Columbus quote with the phrase “Free Palestine” and later with a heart that remade the Rock into a celebration of Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Closer to midnight, members of Turning Point USA repainted the Rock with the U.S. flag, writing “p.s. dibs.”

Since daybreak Tuesday, students have gone back and forth painting messages on the Rock in support of Indigenous Peoples’ Day or Turning Point USA.

In a statement to The State News, political science and pre-law senior and co-chair of NAISO Zadok Milner expressed his appreciation for those who came out to support NAISO on Indigenous Peoples’ Day and ridiculed Turning Point USA for attempting to upset students.

“The solidarity within our community is felt across campus and the greater Lansing area, and the fact that the message was almost immediately painted over with one of love is proof of that,” Milner wrote. “If the point was to trigger negative reactions or upset anyone, TPUSA failed miserably.”

Turning Point USA (TPUSA) is a nonprofit organization that focuses on promoting conservative values and politics on college campuses. The group is no stranger to controversy; in 2022 they hosted conservative speaker Candace Owens at an event that drew scores of protestors. More recently, the group hosted 2016 presidential candidate Ben Carson.

Constitutional theory and political democracy senior and president of MSU TPUSA Samuel Lucido said a few members of the club gathered informally Monday night to paint the Rock. He said that although the group did not mean to offend anyone, the graffiti was “meant to be provocative” in order to draw attention to Christopher Columbus and his “discovery.” In Lucido’s view, Columbus and his legacy should be celebrated for being the genesis of European settlement in the Americas.

“Christopher Columbus, he did a good thing,” Lucido said. “On the 12th of October, 1492, a good thing happened. It was a good thing for the world. It was a good thing for civilization. It was a good thing for human rights, for the development of democracy.”

When undecided sophomore Lauren Cobb heard about TPUSA painting over NAISO’s Rock display, she immediately ordered spray paint from Doordash and called her friends. When none of them said they were available, Cobb set out on her own to repaint the Rock.

“I felt that it was really unjust for TPUSA to try to take voices away from those who really don’t have a voice,” Cobb said. “This is the one day a year where we really think about Indigenous people, the land we took from them, and our impact on their environment and society.”

Even though Cobb’s design, a heart surrounded by red handprints and the phrase ‘IPD 24,’ was quickly covered up by TPUSA members standing nearby, Cobb said it was important she stood up for what she believed in.

“TPUSA has gone out of their way to invalidate those issues that people are having and gloat about their own mockery of (Indigenous) people,” Cobb said. “I think MSU students have done a wonderful job of standing strong in response to them.”

Milner concluded his statement by emphasizing the lack of impact TPUSA’s stunt had on members. Rather than upset people, Milner wrote, the disruption only strengthened NAISO’s resolve.

“If anything, the situation served as a cherry on top to an already meaningful weekend, proving that our community is stronger through love, and theirs made completely weak through hate.”

In a statement to The State News, MSU communications manager Mark Bullion wrote that the university is disappointed by messages painted on the Rock but affirmed its place as “an important landmark and form of expression of the MSU community.”

“We are disappointed that insensitive messages have been painted,” Bullion wrote. “MSU recognizes Indigenous Peoples’ Day and is dedicated to meeting with students. We have also supported posting a physical Land Acknowledgement on campus.”