Why Indigenous Peoples' Day Matters - Editorial
Last Monday, around two dozen towns across the commonwealth celebrated Indigenous Peoples’ Day. The remaining 300-plus communities also observed the holiday but instead recognized it as Columbus Day, celebrating the Italian explorer credited with discovering the Americas.
Falmouth and Mashpee celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day; Bourne and Sandwich observe Columbus Day. It can be confusing to see the same holiday referenced by different names, but a bill in the state Legislature looks to simplify that by doing away with the latter and declaring the second Monday in October to be Indigenous Peoples’ Day statewide.
The bill, An Act Establishing Indigenous Peoples’ Day, is pending in the state Legislature for the third straight session. The bill has more than 30 cosponsors and recommends that the commonwealth observe the day with “appropriate exercises in the schools and otherwise, to acknowledge the history of genocide and discrimination against Indigenous peoples, and to recognize and celebrate the thriving cultures and continued resistance and resilience of Indigenous peoples and their tribal nations.”
We think that statewide adoption of Indigenous Peoples’ Day would be a good thing. In doing so, Massachusetts—a state with undeniably intimate ties to the birth of the nation—would be joining nearly half the country in observing the holiday either in place of or in addition to Columbus Day.
Native communities and allies have advocated for Indigenous Peoples’ Day for decades. Recognizing the holiday in Massachusetts would give long overdue credence to the countless testimonies of discrimination, violence and genocide that Indigenous communities have faced since Columbus arrived more than five centuries ago. The history of such things is well-documented but is far too often glossed over, whitewashed or ignored almost entirely in classrooms. Doing so is a disservice to future generations and has the potential to perpetuate a cycle of ignorance. We have all heard the saying: those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.
Some have argued against the change by saying the sentiment is anti-Italian and dismissive of the achievements of Columbus and other Italian-Americans. In response, a group called the Italian Americans for Indigenous Peoples’ Day was formed and has since been working to support the legislation and bolster the renaming efforts. The group condemned the president’s 2022 Columbus Day Proclamation and issued a statement last year that said the adoption of Indigenous Peoples’ Day as a standalone federally recognized holiday “is one small step Italian Americans—and the dominant culture as a whole—can take to begin repairing the harm caused to Indigenous peoples by centuries of oppression and erasure.”
We are inclined to agree, and while there is a long way for the bill to go in the Legislature, we look forward to seeing what happens.