WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden issued the first Presidential Declaration on Indigenous Peoples Day on Friday, giving the most significant impetus to efforts to re-focus the federal holiday celebrating Christopher Columbus in appreciation of the Native people.
The day will be celebrated on October 11, including Columbus Day, established by Congress.
“For generations, federal policies have sought to systematically integrate and displace indigenous peoples and eradicate indigenous culture,” Biden wrote in the Indigenous Day declaration. “Today, we acknowledge the resilience and strength of Indigenous peoples, as well as the immense positive impact they have had on every aspect of American society.”
In a separate proclamation on Columbus Day, Biden praised the role of Italian Americans in American society, but noted the violence and loss of researchers from Columbus and other American eras.
“Today, we also acknowledge the painful history of injustice and atrocities that many European explorers have imposed on indigenous peoples and indigenous communities,” Biden wrote. “It’s a measure of our greatness as a nation that we don’t want to bury these shameful episodes of our past – so that we can face them honestly, bring them to light and we try our best to deal with them.”
This is a break from President Donald Trump’s enthusiastic defense of “brave heroes” like Columbus in the 2020 holiday announcement.
Trump said, “Sadly, in recent years, radical activists have tried to undermine the legacy of Christopher Columbus. “These extremists want to replace the discussion of his huge contribution with failure, his discoveries with brutality and his achievements with violation.”
