Montgomery County cancels Columbus Day; Indigenous People’s Day takes its place

     Every year on the second Monday of October, we’ve celebrated Christopher Columbus; the hero who discovered America. Except, he didn’t actually discover this land, and many American’s are beginning to decide that Columbus isn’t the hero that we once deemed him as.

     In reality, Columbus arrived on land that was already occupied by the Native Americans, and though his expedition began the exploration of the Americas, he never stepped foot on American soil himself. Instead, he found nearby islands such as the Bahamas.

     Upon discovering Indigenous people in both the Americas and the surrounding islands, the Europeans proceeded to use violence and slavery against the them, force them to convert to Christianity, and give many of theme diseases from Europe.

     It’s these reasons that Columbus Day turned into a controversy, and ultimately led Montgomery county to get rid of it all together.

     The resolution that was released on July 28, 2020, was spearheaded by Nancy Navarro; however it was unanimously approved by the Montgomery County Council. 

     Not only will this resolution update the name on all future official calendars, but Montgomery County Public School’s are also being urged to update their curriculums to better educate students on the “histories, narratives, and cultures of the country’s Native Peoples.”

     The Montgomery County Council is also calling on the Maryland General Assembly to recognize Indigenous People’s Day as an official holiday as well. 

     Doing so would honor the eight recognized tribes native to Maryland, including the Accohannock Indian Tribe, Assateague Peoples Tribe, and many more. And though only eight tribes are recognized, there’s a very large Native American presence in Maryland that’s made up of other tribes as well.

     Montgomery County isn’t alone in this movement either, six entire states, two of which are Hawaii and Alaska, have already made Indigenous People’s Day an official holiday, while most states have at least a few counties that observe this day as well.

     And the rest of the county should follow suit. For most Americans, Columbus Day is a day off of work and fun holiday sales, but for Native Americans, it’s another cruel reminder of what was stolen from them.

     As Navarro put it, “This is not about erasing history, but instead elevating traditionally silenced voices as part of our historical narrative. Our Native American Tribes deserve to have their stories told and their cultures celebrated.”