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Showing posts from October, 2019

What is Indigenous Peoples Day?

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For over 100 years, Columbus Day has been known and celebrated as a federal holiday. However, this is likely to change in light of recent discussions. The question surrounding this holiday is whether Christopher Columbus should be celebrated on this day or not. Since this has surfaced, many public schools, including New Trier, have voted to abolish this holiday. In addition to this, the DC council has even voted that the name be replaced with “Indigenous Peoples Day.” Columbus Day is likely to change to “Indigenous Peoples Day” because of the harm that Columbus caused the Native Americans and the controversy surrounding his moral character. Columbus spread diseases, enslaved and killed many Native Americans, and this has not been forgotten by society today. For some people, Columbus Day is a reminder of the suffering that their ancestors endured and it should be ended. Leila Fadel from NPR says that, “By bringing Indigenous Peoples' Day, we're bringing awareness that we'