(Newswire.net — October 14, 2014) — The Seattle City Council voted last week to shift the focus of the holiday from exploration and conquer to celebrate the values of natives in the region. The Minneapolis City Council approved a similar measure in April. The Indigenous People’s Day will not replace Columbus Day but supplement it, officials say, though Schools across the country have been working for years to clarify Columbus’ role in history. “It’s not about one or the other, it’s about how do we get a complete picture to understand where we’re at in history, and how we got there?” said Portland School Board member Greg Belisle, according to the Oregonian.
However, the move “deeply offended Italian-Americans,” Lisa Marchese, a lawyer affiliated with the Order Sons of Italy in America, told The Seattle Times. “By this resolution, you say to all Italian-Americans that the city of Seattle no longer deems your heritage or your community worthy of recognition,” she said to The Seattle Times.
Despite what American schoolchildren are learning about when “Columbus sailed the ocean blue,” supporters of Indigenous People’s Day believe Columbus should not be celebrated for “discovering” what has already have been there. Indigenous people had been living in the “New World” for a millennium by the time he set his foot on the new continent. His voyages actually paved the way for colonization, leading to the nearly extinction of the native population.
Natives are forced to learn about the history of Columbus, though settlers never really had to learn about indigenous people. “This allows us to make a connection between this painful history and the ongoing marginalization, discrimination and poverty that indigenous communities face to this day,” Seattle Councilmember Kshama Sawant said.
The International Day of the World’s Indigenous People is celebrated on August 9 thanks to a 1994 United Nations General Assembly resolution.