Massachusetts is considering replacing Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day amid controversy over alleged genocide and discrimination.
The Massachusetts House met to consider a bill by two Democrats, state Rep. Christine Barber of Somerville and state Sen. Jo Comerford of Northampton, which would mandate the governor declare the second Monday in October as "Indigenous Peoples Day" instead of "Columbus Day," aiming to educate residents about the racism and violence stemming from Christopher Columbus' journey to the Americas, WWLP22 News reported.
Comerford expressed at the hearing, "This holiday will be a great tribute to the contributions of Indigenous people in Massachusetts — past, present, and future," as reported by The Daily Mail.
The legislation states that the day should be observed with a focus on "appropriate exercises," including in schools, "to acknowledge the history of genocide and discrimination against Indigenous peoples, and to recognize and celebrate the thriving cultures and continued resistance and resilience of Indigenous peoples and their tribal nations."
"Christopher Columbus did not discover the Americas," Comerford and Barber said in a joint statement, adding that the change will "honor those who first settled this land."
While proponents of the bill argue that it is a crucial step toward acknowledging the dark chapters of history associated with Columbus, opponents view it as an approach that risks overlooking the significant contributions of Italian Americans to the state's cultural mosaic.
Democrat state Rep. Jeffrey Turco expressed: "Nobody objects to creating an ‘Indigenous Peoples' Day,’ but to pit one group of people against another people, I think, is an unfortunate approach. This bill basically disregards the contributions of Italian American people — it's offensive to so many across this commonwealth."
However, not all Italian Americans are against the bill.
Heather Leavell, co-founder of Italian Americans for Indigenous People Day and a second-generation Italian American, emphasized that her group represents hundreds of Massachusetts residents of Italian descent and supports the state transitioning away from Columbus Day.
"We believe that a holiday that celebrates the resilience of the Indigenous people is far more truthful and uplifting for all residents of the commonwealth than one that honors a brutal, brutal colonizer," she told the committee. "Indigenous people know their history, and we have listened to their voices, which, together with mainstream scholarship and contemporary first-person accounts from Columbus and his sons, reveals the truth of Columbus' horrific acts of genocide.
"By rejecting Columbus Day, we acknowledge the history and the harm, and then we show our commitment to repair by replacing it with a celebration of Indigenous people."
Comerford informed the Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight that 20 states and Washington, D.C., have already acknowledged the revised day or referred to it as Native American Day.