This past Monday, students across the country were given a long weekend due to an annual holiday. While states such as Massachusetts and Arizona have this day marked on the calendar as Columbus Day, a number of states have officially declared October 14th as Indigenous Peoples Day. In 2021, President Biden commemorated this holiday in his presidential proclamation. This was historic, as the President was the first of 45 to recognize Indigenous People’s Day as a holiday.
Commemorating Columbus’s arrival to the shores of foreign land in 1492, which Americans now call home, Columbus day is a day to celebrate the beginning of our nation, however, was that really the beginning?
Long before Columbus and his crew stepped foot on the Americas, there were countless civilizations already thriving on the land for thousands of years, these people are commonly referred to as Native Americans. Spanning from Maine to California, Native Americans developed numerous cultures, languages, and medical practices- some of which are still in use today. After the arrival of the Mayflower in Plymouth, Massachusetts, many Native communities were wiped out by diseases brought over from England, and later forced to relocate from their homes. Since then, Native communities have continued to struggle in order to keep their culture’s heart beating.
Indigenous Peoples Day should be a national holiday, as it better represents the beginnings of the Americas, as well as celebrates the Native peoples contributions to our nation.
17 states have made Indigenous Peoples Day a holiday, however, the federal government and many other states have yet to recognize this change. If this day was celebrated nationally, it would have a huge impact on indigenous communities.
Why is it so important that this day be recognized? Native Americans are rarely represented in the US from television to news coverage, their history is often overshadowed. It is important that these people be acknowledged not just for tragedies they endured, but also for their diverse culture and history. If this was declared as a federal holiday, it would be a huge win for the Native American community, which has for so long fought to be accepted in the US.
In 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared Columbus Day a federal holiday. Since 1937, many Italian-Americans have celebrated this day, honoring their history and heritage. Some Italian-Americans believe that this change could erase their history and contributions to the United States, however, the population of Italian Americans versus Native Americans is substantial. According to the US Census in 2023, Italian Americans make up five percent of the total US population; Native Americans, one percent. Indigenous People are often invisible in our society, Italian Americans can still celebrate their heritage, but the focus of this day should be on a community that is struggling, a community that needs support.
I believe that this holiday should become a national holiday because not only is Columbus Day rooted in years of oppression of the Native people, but also because it recognizes the contributions that Indigenous Americans have made to the country. A group oftentimes overlooked by the rest of the country, Indigenous people deserve to have their voices be heard.
