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    • What you need to know about the history of Columbus
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    What you need to know about the history of Columbus

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    Monday is increasingly known as Indigenous Peoples’ Day, a commemoration of Native American history and culture.

    Although the second Monday in October is historically celebrated as Columbus Day and is still federally recognized as such, many have pushed for the holiday’s abandonment to recognize the atrocities Columbus committed against people who lived in the Americas long before his arrival.

    Indigenous Peoples Day has been federally recognized by proclamation for the past three years. In 2023, President Joe Biden declared the day to “honor the perseverance and courage of indigenous peoples.”

    Although Indigenous Peoples Day is not recognized everywhere in the U.S., advocates say it is important to address Columbus’ violent history and recognize Native American communities today.

    Here’s what you need to know:

    More: The Pilgrims did not invite Indians to a feast. Why the Thanksgiving Myth Matters.

    Is Indigenous Peoples’ Day an official holiday?

    It depends on where you live, but Columbus Day is still a federal holiday.

    About 29 states and Washington, D.C. do not celebrate Columbus Day. According to renamecolumbusday.org, approximately 216 cities have renamed or replaced Indigenous Peoples Day. Some states recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day through a proclamation, while others consider it an official holiday.

    At the federal level, Indigenous Peoples Day has received presidential proclamations from the Biden administration for the past three years.

    “Indigenous people are a beacon of resilience, strength and perseverance, as well as a source of incredible contributions. Indigenous peoples and tribal nations continue to practice their cultures, remember their heritage, and pass on their history from generation to generation,” Biden wrote. in the 2023 proclamation on the holiday.

    Why are some states abandoning Columbus Day?

    The elementary school lesson about the explorer Christopher Columbus sailing through the “ocean blue” is incomplete.

    Native communities lived in the Western Hemisphere for tens of thousands of years before Columbus arrived, and contact with European colonies led to a devastating loss of life, traditions and land for American Indians, according to the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian.

    Critics of the current federal holiday point out that Columbus committed several crimes against humanity upon reaching the Western Hemisphere. Here are some examples of these atrocities, as compiled by Philadelphia Magazine:

    • Columbus cut off the hands of about 10,000 natives in Haiti and the Dominican Republic for failing to provide gold every three months.
    • Columbus cut off the legs of native children who tried to run away from them.
    • He assisted in the sex trafficking of nine and ten year old girls.

    Moving away from Columbus Day and celebrating Indigenous Peoples’ Day can recognize indigenous perspectives for a more complete view of history, the museum said.

    By celebrating Indigenous Peoples’ Day, the museum says we can also recognize the Native Americans who are still here and fighting for recognition and environmental rights.

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