When I was a kid, I was taught to admire certain historical figures, and to look forward to certain holidays. During the autumn season in particular, it seemed, this was especially important, because school was back in session, and this is where we were taught these things. It was also in autumn that we had off for a couple of holidays that I felt were to regarded as special: Columbus Day and Thanksgiving.
It was just a given that we would have off and celebrate the spirit of the holidays back then. And even though that was not ancient history, much has changed since.
It was just a given that we would have off and celebrate the spirit of the holidays back then. And even though that was not ancient history, much has changed since.
Now, these holidays are increasingly in the public eye in what increasingly are being regarded by many as America's Cultural Wars, as well as Christmas, which comes right at the heels of the end of autumn, literally just days after the autumn ends.
Thanksgiving is a more recent holiday, in terms of my noticing that it was under greater scrutiny than before. But once I understood the arguments, it became harder and harder to ignore. Yet, I still like the idea of a holiday for giving thanks, even though I completely understand and sympathize with Native Americans who look at this holiday with distrust, and as a symbol of betrayal.
But Columbus Day was being questioned longer, and in a much more public way. I remember questions about how good Columbus was even during my childhood, and as I came to age at 18 back in early October of 1992, the legacy of Columbus, and of the holiday that was in his honor close to that time of the year, was now being very actively discussed and debated.
Since then, the movement to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous People's Day has picked up steam considerably. Washington, D.C. - obviously symbolic as the nation's capital city - just officially made the switch.
Yet, it was not the first place to make this switch. There is no sweeping, growing movement in a wide sense, as there is with marijuana legalization. Yet, it is gaining steam. Here is a bit of an illustration of this from a recent report on NPR's Morning Edition by Leila Fadel (see link below):
There's no comprehensive list of places that have switched, but at least 10 states now celebrate some version of Indigenous Peoples' Day on the second Monday in October, like Hawaii's Discoverers' Day or South Dakota's Native Americans' Day. Many college campuses have dumped Columbus Day for Indigenous Peoples' Day as have more than 100 cities, towns and counties across the country.
Still, as mentioned earlier, this holiday has become one of the central points of debate in what some people would consider America's cultural wars. Indeed, while there has been some acknowledgement - albeit often grudgingly - that Native Americans might have a point that we should not celebrate something that celebrates the legacy of their being effectively wiped out, there has been some push back. And since this is America, it not coincidentally has to do with some form of racism and prejudiced. In this case, it is Italian-Americans who felt the sting of negative stereotypes and prejudices against their community. Here is a bit more from the recent report on NPR's Morning Edition by Leila Fadel:
The shift isn't happening without some pushback. For many Italian Americans, Columbus Day is their day to celebrate Italian heritage and the contributions of Italian Americans to the United States. It was adopted at a time when Italians were vilified and faced religious and ethnic discrimination. The first commemoration came in 1892, a year after a mass lynching of 11 Italian Americans by a mob in New Orleans. Italian Americans latched onto the day as a way to mainstream and humanize themselves in the face of rampant discrimination. It became a national holiday in 1934 to honor a man who, ironically, never set foot in the United States. Columbus anchored in the Bahamas.
For many Italian Americans, Columbus Day isn't just about the man but about what the day represents: a people searching for safety and acceptance in their new home.
The history of what might now be called the Indigenous People's Day movement is fascinating, moving slowly but surely into the forefront and becoming more and more mainstream. Here again is something from the recent report on NPR's Morning Edition by Leila Fadel:
Indigenous peoples first proposed the day during a 1977 United Nations conference on discrimination against them. But it wasn't until 1989 that South Dakota became the first state to switch Columbus Day to Native Americans' Day, celebrating it for the first time in 1990. And then Berkeley became the first U.S. city to switch to Indigenous Peoples' Day. The Pew Research Center says Columbus Day is the most inconsistently observed national holiday in the United States.
"Certainly the hundreds and thousands of Italian immigrants who came over in steerage class on the boats at the turn of the 19th century endured a lot of hardships to get here," Hancock said. "But the discovery of America is something where you want to get your history right. And I think that to fully understand and take responsibility for who we are as a people in this land made it very important to be clear about who was here first and reflect on what happened in our history after that, in terms of the displacement and oftentimes genocide of those people. How that might have reflected a general discounting of the history and the humanity of nonwhite people of many kinds in this country and to take responsibility for our history."
Eventually, I believe that Indigenous People's Day will completely replace Columbus Day all around the United States, in literally all 50 states, in time. And some form of it will likely also be recognized in every country in the America's, for that matter. It is just a matter of time, and greater understanding.
Please take a look at the following two links, particularly the NPR one, which explore this topic quite a bit further. Also, take a look on your own, and do some research, if you are so inclined. I believe that exploring these kinds of things is contributing to making this a better country - and a better world, for that matter - rather than a worse one:
Columbus Day Or Indigenous Peoples' Day? Heard on Morning Edition Leila Fadel at NPR headquarters in Washington, D.C., October 14, 2019:
Thanksgiving is a more recent holiday, in terms of my noticing that it was under greater scrutiny than before. But once I understood the arguments, it became harder and harder to ignore. Yet, I still like the idea of a holiday for giving thanks, even though I completely understand and sympathize with Native Americans who look at this holiday with distrust, and as a symbol of betrayal.
But Columbus Day was being questioned longer, and in a much more public way. I remember questions about how good Columbus was even during my childhood, and as I came to age at 18 back in early October of 1992, the legacy of Columbus, and of the holiday that was in his honor close to that time of the year, was now being very actively discussed and debated.
Since then, the movement to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous People's Day has picked up steam considerably. Washington, D.C. - obviously symbolic as the nation's capital city - just officially made the switch.
Yet, it was not the first place to make this switch. There is no sweeping, growing movement in a wide sense, as there is with marijuana legalization. Yet, it is gaining steam. Here is a bit of an illustration of this from a recent report on NPR's Morning Edition by Leila Fadel (see link below):
There's no comprehensive list of places that have switched, but at least 10 states now celebrate some version of Indigenous Peoples' Day on the second Monday in October, like Hawaii's Discoverers' Day or South Dakota's Native Americans' Day. Many college campuses have dumped Columbus Day for Indigenous Peoples' Day as have more than 100 cities, towns and counties across the country.
Still, as mentioned earlier, this holiday has become one of the central points of debate in what some people would consider America's cultural wars. Indeed, while there has been some acknowledgement - albeit often grudgingly - that Native Americans might have a point that we should not celebrate something that celebrates the legacy of their being effectively wiped out, there has been some push back. And since this is America, it not coincidentally has to do with some form of racism and prejudiced. In this case, it is Italian-Americans who felt the sting of negative stereotypes and prejudices against their community. Here is a bit more from the recent report on NPR's Morning Edition by Leila Fadel:
The shift isn't happening without some pushback. For many Italian Americans, Columbus Day is their day to celebrate Italian heritage and the contributions of Italian Americans to the United States. It was adopted at a time when Italians were vilified and faced religious and ethnic discrimination. The first commemoration came in 1892, a year after a mass lynching of 11 Italian Americans by a mob in New Orleans. Italian Americans latched onto the day as a way to mainstream and humanize themselves in the face of rampant discrimination. It became a national holiday in 1934 to honor a man who, ironically, never set foot in the United States. Columbus anchored in the Bahamas.
For many Italian Americans, Columbus Day isn't just about the man but about what the day represents: a people searching for safety and acceptance in their new home.
The history of what might now be called the Indigenous People's Day movement is fascinating, moving slowly but surely into the forefront and becoming more and more mainstream. Here again is something from the recent report on NPR's Morning Edition by Leila Fadel:
Indigenous peoples first proposed the day during a 1977 United Nations conference on discrimination against them. But it wasn't until 1989 that South Dakota became the first state to switch Columbus Day to Native Americans' Day, celebrating it for the first time in 1990. And then Berkeley became the first U.S. city to switch to Indigenous Peoples' Day. The Pew Research Center says Columbus Day is the most inconsistently observed national holiday in the United States.
"Certainly the hundreds and thousands of Italian immigrants who came over in steerage class on the boats at the turn of the 19th century endured a lot of hardships to get here," Hancock said. "But the discovery of America is something where you want to get your history right. And I think that to fully understand and take responsibility for who we are as a people in this land made it very important to be clear about who was here first and reflect on what happened in our history after that, in terms of the displacement and oftentimes genocide of those people. How that might have reflected a general discounting of the history and the humanity of nonwhite people of many kinds in this country and to take responsibility for our history."
Eventually, I believe that Indigenous People's Day will completely replace Columbus Day all around the United States, in literally all 50 states, in time. And some form of it will likely also be recognized in every country in the America's, for that matter. It is just a matter of time, and greater understanding.
Please take a look at the following two links, particularly the NPR one, which explore this topic quite a bit further. Also, take a look on your own, and do some research, if you are so inclined. I believe that exploring these kinds of things is contributing to making this a better country - and a better world, for that matter - rather than a worse one:
Columbus Day Or Indigenous Peoples' Day? Heard on Morning Edition Leila Fadel at NPR headquarters in Washington, D.C., October 14, 2019:
https://www.npr.org/2019/10/14/769083847/columbus-day-or-indigenous-peoples-day
Columbus Day Is Dying. Indigenous Peoples Day Is the Future. Many places no longer celebrate the man responsible for the murder of millions of Native Americans. Delilah Friedler, October 14, 2019:
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2019/10/columbus-day-is-dying-indigenous-peoples-day-is-the-future/?fbclid=IwAR2kJKXvAkIWeVCEZrBQsVqQbg35PgCjLjECbCv8RSKx3w6rv4-0F6_04v8
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