Who Gets Remembered?

The challenge begins

In 1977, a conference in Geneva sponsored by the United Nations, on discrimination against Indigenous peoples in the Americas, began discussing replacing Columbus Day with a day honoring Indigenous peoples. [1]

In 1990, South Dakota began observing Native American Day in place of Columbus Day, after an exchange of letters between the journalist Tim Giago and Governor George Mickelson. [2] In 1992, the 500th anniversary of the first voyage, Berkeley, California declared October 12 a day of solidarity with Indigenous people. [1]

Statues

In June 2020, during nationwide protests, protesters in Richmond, Virginia pulled down a Columbus statue and threw it into a lake. In Boston, the head of a Columbus statue was cut off. [3] In Baltimore, a Columbus statue was taken down in 2020 as well. [6]

Two presidents, two proclamations

In 2021, Joe Biden became the first president to issue a proclamation for Indigenous Peoples' Day. He also issued a Columbus Day proclamation, which praised Italian Americans and acknowledged the wrongs and atrocities European explorers inflicted on Indigenous communities. [4]

In 2025, Donald Trump issued a Columbus Day proclamation that did not mention Indigenous Peoples' Day, calling for the nation to reclaim Columbus's legacy. [5] In 2026, his proclamation for October 12 again made no mention of Indigenous peoples. It announced that a replica of the Baltimore Columbus statue removed in 2020 now stands on the White House grounds. [6]

Columbus Day remains a federal holiday. [5] Across the country, about 30 states and three territories recognize Columbus Day in some way, while 17 states and the District of Columbia commemorate Indigenous peoples on that day; some states do both. [5]

Two sides, in their own words

For many Italian Americans, the day is about their own history. Basil Russo, president of the Italian Sons and Daughters of America, describes Columbus Day as a symbol of the resilience and determination Italian Americans needed to overcome obstacles and find their place in American society. He says the holiday was meant to make Americans more accepting of immigrants, and he opposes removing it or the statues. [7]

Critics, including Indigenous scholars, challenge both the holiday and Columbus's legacy. [5] Kerri Malloy, a professor of Native American and Indigenous Studies at San José State University, argues that such proclamations repeat a fantasy of discovery and exploration, when the voyages were really about commerce and the exploitation of resources. [5]

Both sides are describing real history. Chapter 7 showed how the 1892 holiday grew from the lynching of Italian Americans. Chapters 3 through 6 showed what the voyages brought to the Taíno and, later, to millions of Africans.

Your verdict

Historians gather evidence. They weigh who wrote it, when and why. Then they make a judgment, and show their work.

You have done the same thing across eight chapters. Now it is your turn to decide.