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Monday, October 12, 2015

Instead of Columbus Day, some celebrate this

Instead of celebrating Christopher Columbus, some cities and schools are honoring the people he encountered in the New World and their descendants.

More jurisdictions this year are recognizing the second Monday in October as Indigenous People's Day, building on efforts to shift the holiday's focus away from the Italian explorer.

From a practical standpoint, regardless of what the day is called there's no guarantee you have it off from work unless you're a federal employee. Columbus Day is one of America's most inconsistently celebrated holidays, with 23 states and Washington recognizing it as a paid holiday for state workers. In the private sector, it depends on the company.

The shift is part of broader attempts to clarify the Italian explorer's role in American history and connect indigenous culture to something other than sports teams, Halloween costumes and pop culture appropriation.

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3 comments:

  1. "and connect indigenous culture to something other than sports teams, Halloween costumes and pop culture appropriation"

    You forgot massive retail sales events.

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  2. What the hell is next...

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  3. For those who have actually read a book this isn't mind boggling. Columbus was nothing more than lost, and the result of him getting loss is that massive amounts of people were murdered, raped and literally wipe off the face of the Earth. There isn't a damn thing to celebrate him for.

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