Albuquerque recognizes Indigenous Peoples Day

For years, USA citizens have been honoring Christopher Columbus on the second Monday of October, but more and more cities across the country are now changing the day from “Columbus Day” to “Indigenous People’s Day”.

At least nine cities in the USA will be officially celebrating “Indigenous Peoples Day” this year, including Albuquerque, New Mexico; Portland, Oregon; St. Paul, Minnesota, and Olympia, Washington, the Associated Press reported.

The Seattle City Council approved a resolution to designate the second Monday in October Indigenous Peoples Day to celebrate the culture of Native Americans. Their success was mixed.

Indigenous Peoples Day aims to recognize the fact that the indigenous people that Columbus encountered were often subject to frightful treatment, abuse, and disease. “It’s time to let go of Columbus Day rhetoric”.

López staffer Jesús Orrantia made clear the proclamation was not a renaming of Columbus Day, which is not an official holiday for the City and County of Denver.

Postage stamp issued by the Faroe Islands commemorating the discovery of America.

Now making up only 2 percent, the Native American population is the smallest demographic in the U.S.

The city proclamation calls Anchorage the state’s “biggest village” as home to more than 23,000 Alaska Natives.

Christopher Columbus, like all of the above except for Jesus, was a sinner. It stands contrary to the view of history that many Americans have, in which Columbus’s arrival in the New World is celebrated. His practice of selling the natives into slavery set a precedent that, in the eyes of Native Americans today, led to European conquest and extermination of most native peoples in the Americas.

Though Columbus Day is a federal holiday, it is not recognized the same way everywhere.

We also spoke with a few residents who declined an on-camera interview, who said they don’t have a problem with the name of the holiday and don’t think a change is necessary. “Because we’re talking about local history”.

The renewed push for Indigenous Peoples Day carries the sentiment of past decades’ protests against Columbus, but it has proven less confrontational, with advocates instead finding traction at City Hall.