Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Last year I organized the first annual Climate Action Fun Run. The proceeds went to local nonprofits working on climate change. My team and I are working on changing the name to Indigenous Peoples’ Day Run. [There is a movement in the United States to change Columbus Day, a national holiday, to Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Columbus Day commemorates the day in 1492 when Christopher Columbus and his crew landed in the Americas, initiating the European genocide of the Native peoples in the Western Hemisphere and the colonization of their lands. Indigenous Peoples’ Day celebrates Indigenous peoples and brings attention to the real history of the genocide and oppression.]
Last week my wife, son, and I went to an Indigenous Peoples’ Day rally in front of City Hall in Boston (Massachusetts, USA). I have been connecting with local Native leaders and learning how I and other allies can support them in changing Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
Recently the state of Vermont joined South Dakota in officially changing the holiday. Denver, Colorado; and Cambridge, Massachusetts, have joined many cities across the country that are doing the same. It is hopeful to see so much positive momentum.
Boston, Massachusetts, USA, The traditional land of the Massachusett
Reprinted from the e-mail discussion list for RC Community members
(Present Time 187, April 2017)