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Forever it seems, the second Monday in October has been recognized as Columbus Day, a federal holiday.
While its roots date back to the 1930s, some claim it has falsely perpetuated historical narrative surrounding the man claiming responsibility for discovering America. Italian-born explorer Christopher Columbus is being credited for the feat based upon his first of four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean landing on inhabited land.
In August 2017, the Los Angeles City Council voted to eliminate the holiday from it calendar, agreeing with activists that Columbus was a symbol of genocide for native peoples in North America.
The South Pasadena City Council will look into modifying its observance of Columbus Day after the issue was raised by Councilmember Dr. Marina Khubesrian and seconded by Councilmember Diana Mahmud during Wednesday’s regularly scheduled meeting at City Hall.
“I think there’s a consensus out there that this is something from the past that we should move forward with,” said John Pope, the city’s public information officer.
Seattle, Denver, and Albuquerque have joined Los Angeles in replacing Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day.
The council asked city staff for a recommendation on how to proceed to potentially change Columbus Day, currently observed in the city, to Peoples Indigenous Day.
I am so glad for the Councilmembers to have raised this issue and am in full support of replacing Columbus Day with Indigenous People’s Day.