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Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples' Day are celebrated on October 14, in a commemoration that is still divided in the United States, after President Joe Biden changed the name of the event in 2021 to remember the Native Americans who lost land, women and children during the European conquest, mainly scourged by the English, Spanish, French, Italians and Dutch.
While Columbus Day commemorates the moment when Christopher Columbus, the Italian explorer whose real name was Cristoforo Colombo, landed on the American continent in 1492 and "discovered" the land, thus introducing the New World to the Old World, despite the fact that there were already native populations residing there.
President Joe Biden stated in the 2023 proclamation on Indigenous Peoples Day that it is a date to recognize tribal contributions.
"On Indigenous Peoples Day, we honor the perseverance and courage of indigenous peoples, show our gratitude for the countless contributions they have made to our world, and renew our commitment to respect tribal sovereignty and self-determination," said President Biden.
The recognition of the Indigenous Peoples' Day is being strengthened
Having two names on the same date for now still causes confusion, because Indigenous Peoples Day is not yet a national holiday, although it is already designated on the second Monday of October.
The controversy to promote a change of a date that for now is still in transition occurred according to information from Smithsonian magazine, because for many years the indigenous peoples of America have protested against Columbus Day, for commemorating episodes of slavery and torture.
Thus, the movement to have it replaced by Indigenous Peoples' Day has grown stronger and in several states of the American Union it is already commemorated as such, but it is not yet extended to the entire territory, so this Monday is still a date shared with Columbus Day, while the debate on the holiday that should take priority is defined.
According to the website RenameColumbusDay.org, 29 states have already replaced Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day, in addition to Washington DC.