The coming of "Indigenous Peoples Day"

Why is it important that we give recognition to the people who were colonized in the founding of the Americas and why is Indigenous Peoples Day still relevant in 2018?

"In August 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue," as far back as I can think, this is the only aspect I was taught to remember about the founding of our nation. Come to find out a number of years later, that I was only told half of the story. Christopher Columbus was responsible for the genocide of nearly 50,000 people who had already resided in America before his arrival.

Indigenous, by definition, means originating or occurring naturally in a particular place. The name indigenous peoples day places recognition on the native people who were colonized rather than the mass murderer who stumbled upon their land.

The environment of academia pertaining to American history has been known to consistently vilify people of color; the story that has been told about Columbus is no different. Columbus, a European man, enslaved the natives and sold their young girls into sexual slavery, tortured those who did not bring him enough gold, and would often have them killed if they did not obey his orders.

Because of Columbus, the U.S. lacks many Native American populations today and in turn, there is a lack of respect and proper representation towards this culture. To this day, descendants of the indigenous people of the Americas struggle from poverty and discrimination. This nation inherently gives voice and power to the characters who are most familiar. Meaning that, if Columbus had never come across this land, the U.S. as we know it might've turned out much differently. As the nation developed, the way we tell this story did as well. The aftermath of Columbus' actions made sure that the European way of life was the majority in this new world, making the default color of skin white.

For decades, the story of the founding of our nation has been told predominately by white people. This idea is certainly not a criticism on the way in which white educators, teachers, and scholars do their jobs. It is a criticism on the overarching system which was originally built to give some people the power and authority to tell other people's stories.

Why should you care? Though they are small in numbers here in the U.S., Native Americans remain in existence among all of us. They contribute to our society, our economy, our nation's culture, and they are as much community members as any other U.S. citizen. Meanwhile, Christopher Columbus, a man who has never stepped foot in present day America, is being exalted on the means of committing genocide.

So to this I would ask you, how could you not care? Does Columbus Day as we know it support the American values that we all know and support?

This is our chance to change the pattern. We the people decide what it means to be an American. The notion that it is a necessity to have white skin in order to be given a voice in this nation is one that can fortunately be modified if we care enough about our fellow Americans to modify it.

How can you help?

There are a number of ways that you can help to dismantle the celebration of this deceiving and misleading holiday. As a supporter of this movement, when I hear people refer to it as "Columbus Day" I always suggest the alternative as "Indigenous Peoples Day" and offer an educated explanation. You can also share posts like these, write your own posts, or simply spark dialogue within your community. These are small scale ideas, but per my home page quote- if a lot of people are making small efforts, it will result in significant change eventually. It is also an option to get involved with the local movement who's mission is to change the name from "Columbus Day" to "Indigenous Peoples Day" or start a movement if there isn't one already. Several cities across the U.S. have already begun recognizing it as such.

Most importantly, LET PEOPLE TELL THEIR OWN STORIES! In order to truly break these dangerous societal habits, we must work from the inside out and ensure that we remold the foundation that institutionalized racism and xenophobia are built upon. Giving people of color their voice back is crucial to this shift.