LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – The second Monday of October has been a national holiday for nearly one hundred years. Many people may recognize it as “Columbus Day,” but last October, President Joe Biden changed the name to “Indigenous Peoples’ Day.”
In October 2021, President Biden signed the first presidential proclamation of Indigenous Peoples’ Day to honor Native American history and culture and bypass what some have referred to as the “offensive” nature of Christopher Columbus.
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“Today, we also acknowledge the painful history of wrongs and atrocities that many European explorers inflicted on Tribal Nations and Indigenous communities,” Biden wrote for the 2021 proclamation.
More than a dozen states and 130 local governments have chosen to not celebrate Columbus Day altogether or replace it with Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Many states celebrate both.
There are 10 states that observe the holiday via proclamation, including Michigan.
On #IndigenousPeoplesDay, we honor the history and resilience of tribal communities and commit ourselves to ensure they have an empowered voice and seat at the table as we move Michigan forward.
— Governor Gretchen Whitmer (@GovWhitmer) October 10, 2022
Some pushed back against Whitmer’s statements.
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Happy Columbus Day to you too
— Jason Mavis (@jason_mavis) October 10, 2022
It’s Columbus Day.
— Joe Halstead (@TheMailman48801) October 10, 2022
You mean Columbus Day? Remember Christopher Columbus was once an Immigrant whose voice should be heard and respected.
— Patriotic_Ref🇺🇲 (@BillTheibert) October 10, 2022
I think you spelled Columbus Day wrong.
— JoeMamma (@JoeMamma_red) October 10, 2022
No matter what people choose to call it, Monday will see post offices, government offices, and banks closed.
