It’s Time For The US To Adopt Indigenous Peoples’ Day In Place Of Columbus Day
Today is INdigenous People’s Day. While some people still try to celebrate Christopher Columbus Day, many cities across the country have replace the day with Indigenous People’s Day to honor and respect the indigenous people of this land. It is also a way to set the record straight and tell the true history of Christopher Columbus’ legacy.
Indigenous People’s Day is slowly replacing Christopher Columbus Day, as it should tbh.
For years, we have all been told about how Christopher Columbus “sailed the ocean blue” to discover America in 1492. Teachers told us that he came to the New World and helped to develop it into a place where Europeans could colonize and better the land. However, that is not the way that Native American descendants remember that violent moment in history.
The reclaimed holiday is shining a light on the resilience and plight in native communities.
The Native American communities faced untold horror and devastation when the Europeans began arriving. The French, English, and Spanish participated in decimating the Native communities through disease and war to take land that belonged to the various tribes.
“Well, if we’re truly wanted to celebrate the progress that we’ve made in this country, then Indigenous Peoples’ Day is completely fitting because we were meant to be completely either killed off or assimilated into mainstream society, and we’re still here,” Rep. Deb Haaland told Full Frontal with Samantha Bee.
Indigenous Peoples’ Day gives Americans a chance to learn the true history of this nation.
Native communities have known for centuries how brutal Columbus was to the First Nations people in the U.S. The colonizer used smallpox and a slew of other diseases to kill off Native Americans to take the land. It is brutal history that has long been buried and sugar-coated for school children, much like slavery in history textbooks. It is a disservice to the American people and the resilient Native American communities to continue to ignore the true brutal magnitude of Columbus.
Several states are replacing Columbus Day with holidays honoring the indigenous communities of the U.S.
Alaska, Hawaii, Maine, New Mexico, Oregon, South Dakota, Vermont, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Washington D.C. all observe a holiday for indigenous people instead of Columbus. Alabama and Oklahoma recognize both holidays.
Recognizing Indigenous Peoples’ Day is a minimal and impactful way to honor indigenous people.
It doesn’t really change anything. Instead of spending the day sleeping in and off work in honor of a colonizer, you can spend a day sleeping in and off of work in honor of indigenous people.
“Indigenous Peoples’ Day is a way to honor the people who lived and thrived on this continent before colonization,” Rep. Haaland said in a video honoring the holiday. “The celebration of this day is a long time coming. Activists, community organizers, and the indigenous community worked hard lobbying lawmakers, hosting rallies, and showing tour culture proudly wherever we go so that we could finally correct the record and recognize the real history of this country.”
