Columbus Day is still a federal holiday in 2020, despite the growing recognition that Christopher Columbus was responsible for treasonous crimes and did not discover America—the land was already inhabited. Some states have made the change to celebrating “Indigenous Peoples’ Day” instead of Columbus Day in an effort to recognize the displaced and harmed people groups affected so drastically by Columbus’s terrible history, but many still celebrate Columbus Day or Discoverer’s Day on its own.
Other states and cities celebrate Columbus Day in addition to Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Some believe celebrating a holiday dedicated to the tyrant while also celebrating a holiday dedicated to those Columbus abused is counterintuitive and in poor taste, given the severity of Columbus’s crimes. Columbus commited a range of violent crimes on Hispaniola, including mutating Native Americans, kidnapping and enslaving native peoples, forcing death on peoples who could not be forced into labor crimes, and selling young girls into sex trafficking. Columbus was even known to abuse Spaniard settlers under his rule. Based on all these actions, anyone who believes in human decency and morality may easily question why the United States celebrates such a day.
As of 2019, around 10 states were celebrating Indigenous Peoples’ Day in the U.S. This growing number is a good sign, but it still does not fully satisfy human rights activists who know the majority of the country is still celebrating Columbus Day. Some Columbus Day fans argue that the day is a holiday to celebrate Italian Heritage, but others argue that Italians deserve a better holiday, one which doesn’t revolve around tyranny. According to Lucy Diavolo of Teen Vogue, Italian Americans should advocate instead for the celebration of Sacco and Vanzetti Day on August 23rd instead of Columbus Day. Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were a pair of anarchist Italian immigrants who opposed anti-Italian sentiment during their day. Diavolo argues that their story is far more representative of how far Italian Americans have come and how much they now have to show for.
No matter your heritage in this country, it is important to recognize the controversy of Columbus Day and consider a future that celebrates more important stories.