Now HERE'S an idea that's long overdue - Goodbye Columbus Day
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By Cheryl Carpenter Klimek, BizPak
BizPak Review
Sunday, Oct 5, 2014
Goodbye, Columbus Day? School board celebrates ‘Indigenous Peoples’ Day’ instead
Columbus Day has been an official federal holiday since 1937, but that’s not stopping the Seattle School Board from tweaking it a bit.
In a unanimous decision, the school board on Wednesday passed a resolution requiring public schools to observe “Indigenous Peoples’ Day” on the same day as Columbus Day – the second Monday in October, according to Fox affiliate KCPQ.
The board’s resolution stresses a commitment to promote “Seattle’s American Indian and Indigenous students,” saying that it “recognizes the fact that Seattle is built upon the homelands and villages of the Indigenous Peoples of this region, without whom the building of the City would not have been possible.”
Going a step further, the resolution says the board “has a responsibility to oppose the systematic racism towards Indigenous people in the United States, which perpetuates high rates of poverty and income inequality, exacerbating disproportionate health, education and social crises.”
“We know Columbus Day is a federal holiday,” Matt Remle, supporter of the Indigenous Peoples’ Day designation, told KCPQ. “We are not naive about that, but what we can do, and what you have seen, is a movement.”
The Seattle City Council will vote Monday on whether to celebrate “Indigenous Peoples’ Day” on the Columbus Day holiday.
Italian Americans addressed their concerns about the movement during a Sept. 17 discussion of Indigenous Peoples’ Day. While they support the newly created recognition, they don’t feel it should be on the same day as Columbus Day.
“For most Italian Americans, Columbus Day is a symbol of pride in our heritage,” Audrey Manzanares said at the meeting.
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