Christopher Columbus sailed the seven seas...or did he?
That is the question up for debate today. There are of course two sides to this argument and whether or not "Columbus Day" should keep its name or if it should be called "Indigenous People Day."
The debate also spreads to whether or not statues of Christopher Columbus should be taken down.
"Racism. Tear it down!"
"Tearing down statues of Columbus also tears down my history!"
Columbus Day is a U.S. holiday that celebrates Columbus, an Italian-born explorer, landing the Americas in 1492.
Racism is the number one argument against Columbus and why people feel that the day should not be named after him. A statue in New York City was vandalized with red paint on his hands to symbolize his role in the genocide of Native Americans. Another statue was vandalized in Boston with the word "Racism" on the statue.
Some states such as Minnesota, Alaska, Maine, New Mexico, South Dakota, and Vermont already celebrate Indigenous People Day. Activists chose to celebrate the holiday on the same day as the traditional Columbus day on purpose. Many people believe that this day in history should not recognize a man that "enslaved Native Americans and 'discovered' a place where people already lived."
In a separate article, Jacob Marie says that he grew up learning how Columbus killed people-loving natives and was a symbol for Western Oppression. He says in the article, "Any attempt to erase him from historical memory doesn’t correct a lie, it actually perpetuates one."
Others also argue that taking away Columbus day takes away both American and Italian heritage.
"We're proud to be Americans and equally proud of our Italian heritage and ancestry."
It would also take an act of congress to scrap this federal holiday in the United States, and nobody has even tried to push this. Congress established Columbus day as a public holiday in 1968 and it would take another act from congress to eliminate it.
All in all, people continue to argue over whether or not Columbus Day should keep its name or be called Indigenous people day. Regardless. the official Columbus Day will still happen on October 14th this year...What do you think about this? Was Columbus a horrible man unworthy of recognition or is he a piece of history that we can't change?
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