AP Photo/Susan Walsh
President Joe Biden speaks after touring a Clayco Corporation construction site for a Microsoft data center in Elk Grove Village, Ill., Thursday, Oct. 7, 2021.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Friday issued the first-ever presidential proclamation of Indigenous Peoples’ Day, lending the most significant boost yet to efforts to refocus the federal holiday celebrating Christopher Columbus toward an appreciation of native peoples.
The day will be observed on Oct. 11, along with Columbus Day, which is established by Congress.
“For generations, Federal policies systematically sought to assimilate and displace Native people and eradicate Native cultures,” Biden wrote in the Indigenous Peoples’ Day proclamation. “Today, we recognize Indigenous peoples’ resilience and strength as well as the immeasurable positive impact that they have made on every aspect of American society.”
In a separate proclamation on Columbus Day, Biden praised the role of Italian Americans in U.S. society, but also referenced the violence and harm Columbus and other explorers of the age brought about on the Americas.
“Today, we also acknowledge the painful history of wrongs and atrocities that many European explorers inflicted on Tribal Nations and Indigenous communities,” Biden wrote. “It is a measure of our greatness as a Nation that we do not seek to bury these shameful episodes of our past — that we face them honestly, we bring them to the light, and we do all we can to address them.”
It’s a break from President Donald Trump’s ardent defense of “intrepid heroes” like Columbus in his 2020 proclamation of the holiday.
“Sadly, in recent years, radical activists have sought to undermine Christopher Columbus’ legacy,” Trump said at the time. “These extremists seek to replace discussion of his vast contributions with talk of failings, his discoveries with atrocities, and his achievements with transgressions.”
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Biden is first president to mark Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Bob Downing/Akron Beacon Journal
Christopher Columbus was a master navigator and admiral whose four transatlantic voyages opened the way for European exploration, exploitation and colonization of the Americas. There is no evidence that he ever landed on the mainland of North America, and 500 years before he arrived, a band of Vikings led by Leif Erikson set foot in North America. Here, a statue of Christopher Columbus stands on a plaza in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Bob Downing/Akron Beacon Journal
Christopher Columbus was a master navigator and admiral whose four transatlantic voyages opened the way for European exploration, exploitation and colonization of the Americas. There is no evidence that he ever landed on the mainland of North America, and 500 years before he arrived, a band of Vikings led by Leif Erikson set foot in North America. Here, a statue of Christopher Columbus stands on a plaza in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
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Biden is first president to mark Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Erik McGregor/Sipa USA
Protesters point to the impact of the slave trade and the ravages of disease brought by Europeans to the indigenous peoples of North and South America. Some academics estimate that about 20 million native people died in the years after the European invasion of the New World.
Erik McGregor/Sipa USA
Protesters point to the impact of the slave trade and the ravages of disease brought by Europeans to the indigenous peoples of North and South America. Some academics estimate that about 20 million native people died in the years after the European invasion of the New World.
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Biden is first president to mark Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Taimy Alvarez/South Florida Sun-Sentinel
In October 1492, Columbus made landfall on what is now the Bahamas and later reached another island that he named Hispaniola. He assumed he had reached the East Indies. The island today is divided into Haiti to the west and the Dominican Republic to the east. Columbus established the first American colony at La Isabela, on the north coast of Hispaniola, in 1494. Spaniards forced men in the villages to work in gold mines and colonial plantations, which kept the Taíno people from planting the crops that fed them. Many were felled by smallpox, measles and other European diseases for which they had no immunity, Smithsonian magazine reports.
Taimy Alvarez/South Florida Sun-Sentinel
In October 1492, Columbus made landfall on what is now the Bahamas and later reached another island that he named Hispaniola. He assumed he had reached the East Indies. The island today is divided into Haiti to the west and the Dominican Republic to the east. Columbus established the first American colony at La Isabela, on the north coast of Hispaniola, in 1494. Spaniards forced men in the villages to work in gold mines and colonial plantations, which kept the Taíno people from planting the crops that fed them. Many were felled by smallpox, measles and other European diseases for which they had no immunity, Smithsonian magazine reports.
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Biden is first president to mark Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Dreamstime
Several major U.S. cities now celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day, including Los Angeles, Seattle and Austin, Texas, and four states also have made the day official. Cincinnati recently became the first major city in Ohio to celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day, instead of Columbus Day. New York (pictured) and some other major cities still hold Columbus Day parades.
Dreamstime
Several major U.S. cities now celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day, including Los Angeles, Seattle and Austin, Texas, and four states also have made the day official. Cincinnati recently became the first major city in Ohio to celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day, instead of Columbus Day. New York (pictured) and some other major cities still hold Columbus Day parades.
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Biden is first president to mark Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Dreamstime
Canada celebrates the culture of its native people with National Indigenous Peoples Day, held in June every year. Canadians recognize and celebrate the unique heritage, diverse cultures and contributions of First Nations, Inuit and Métis people. In this photo Native Americans mark the day in 2015 in Winnipeg.
Dreamstime
Canada celebrates the culture of its native people with National Indigenous Peoples Day, held in June every year. Canadians recognize and celebrate the unique heritage, diverse cultures and contributions of First Nations, Inuit and Métis people. In this photo Native Americans mark the day in 2015 in Winnipeg.
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Biden is first president to mark Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Dreamstime
The United Nations’ International Day of the World’s Indigenous People is observed on Aug. 9 each year to promote and protect the rights of the world’s indigenous population. Pictured here is the celebration of the day in Mexico City in 2016.
Dreamstime
The United Nations’ International Day of the World’s Indigenous People is observed on Aug. 9 each year to promote and protect the rights of the world’s indigenous population. Pictured here is the celebration of the day in Mexico City in 2016.
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Biden is first president to mark Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Dreamstime
There are more than 500 federally recognized tribes within the United States. The word "Indian" was an invention of Columbus, who thought he had landed in the East Indies. Native Americans in Portland, Ore., are pictured here celebrating at an annual powwow in 2014.
Dreamstime
There are more than 500 federally recognized tribes within the United States. The word "Indian" was an invention of Columbus, who thought he had landed in the East Indies. Native Americans in Portland, Ore., are pictured here celebrating at an annual powwow in 2014.
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Biden is first president to mark Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Dreamstime
Before Columbus’ ships landed in the Bahamas, nomadic ancestors of modern Native Americans trekked over a land bridge from Asia to what is now Alaska, more than 12,000 years ago. By the time European explorers arrived in the 15th century, scholars estimate that more than 50 million people were living in the Americas, according to History.com.
Dreamstime
Before Columbus’ ships landed in the Bahamas, nomadic ancestors of modern Native Americans trekked over a land bridge from Asia to what is now Alaska, more than 12,000 years ago. By the time European explorers arrived in the 15th century, scholars estimate that more than 50 million people were living in the Americas, according to History.com.
