Despite Columbus Day being the well-known national holiday, people around the world have turned to celebrating Indigenous Peoples’ Day on October 11th. The purpose of this is to educate the public on Native American history and culture, as well as reject the racist history of Christopher Columbus.
Indigenous Peoples’ Day also raises awareness of the United States’s long history of discriminating against its Native Peoples. It calls attention to the losses caused by warfare, disease, massacres, and forced assimilation in the past as well as how these things are still very present and ignored today.
Alma College Students have the privilege of studying among a very diverse student body and should be aware of the secret history behind Columbus Day and the existence of Indigenous Peoples’ Day to promote their social and political consciousness.
