Indigenous activists see Trump's Columbus Day rhetoric as cause for continued advocacy
Source: AP
Updated 10:27 AM EDT, May 3, 2025
This week, President Donald Trump announced he won’t recognize Indigenous Peoples Day and will bring Columbus Day “back from the ashes” — another sign some Native leaders say that advocacy for Indigenous representation must continue during Trump’s second term in the White House. Columbus Day, celebrated annually in October, venerates the accomplishments of Italian explorer Christopher Columbus.
Native Americans have been lobbying local and federal governments for decades to replace celebrations of Columbus with a holiday that recognizes the contributions of Indigenous peoples. For many, the goal was to not only create a celebration of the beauty of Indigenous cultures and experiences but to also recast Columbus’ historical framing.
Instead of focusing on his navigation to the Americas, many Native people want to increase awareness of the role Columbus played in the mass atrocities and deaths inflicted upon Indigenous peoples.
Democrat Joe Biden was the first president to mark Indigenous Peoples Day, issuing a proclamation in 2021 that celebrated “the invaluable contributions and resilience of Indigenous peoples” and recognized the sovereignty and self-determination of tribal nations. The proclamation did not establish Indigenous Peoples Day as a federal holiday, nor did it remove Columbus Day as one.
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/indigenous-peoples-columbus-day-donald-trump-96cc6fb0a2251a66876b28372da87b50
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