WASHINGTON — The nation’s capital celebrated both Christopher Columbus and Indigenous Peoples on Monday, just days after President Donald Trump signed a proclamation to reclaim Christopher Columbus’ legacy, which he said “left-wing arsonists” have sought to destroy.
The federal holiday has been the center of growing controversy due to the violence, slavery and colonization that Columbus’ arrival brought to the Western Hemisphere. A movement to celebrate “Indigenous Peoples’ Day” was officially recognized by President Biden in 2021, although it was never made a federal holiday and Columbus Day remained one.
While some supporters of Columbus Day see it as a celebration of Italian-American heritage, others question why the holiday centers on Columbus, who never set foot in North America.
“Why do you want to name a day after somebody of such low moral values?” said A’lice Myers-Hall, president of the American Indian Society of Washington, D.C.
