Indigenous Peoples Day began as a counter to the United States federal holiday of Columbus Day to honor and celebrate Indigenous American peoples and is now an official holiday in some cities and states. Annually on X, Indigenous Peoples Day trends with many on the social media platform showing their support and recognition by sharing history, small factoids, memes, and more.
Here is a brief explainer from History.com:
For the fourth year in a row, the United States will officially observe Indigenous Peoples Day alongside Columbus Day. Indigenous Peoples’ Day celebrates the history and contributions of Native Americans. In 2024, the holiday falls on Monday, October 14.
While the Joe Biden administration has officially recognized Indigenous Peoples’ Day since 2021, it is not yet a federal holiday. More than a dozen states recognize some version of the holiday in place of Columbus Day. Some states and cities, however, still celebrate Columbus Day or Italian Heritage Day. Across the US, 17 states, including Washington, South Dakota and Maine, as well as Washington, D.C., have holidays honoring Indigenous communities. Dozens of cities and school systems observe Indigenous Peoples’ Day as well.
There has been some effort to formally designate Indigenous Peoples’ Day a federal holiday. The Indigenous Peoples’ Day Act, reintroduced in Congress on October 2, 2023, would designate the second Monday of October as Indigenous Peoples’ Day nationwide.
Columbus Day is named after Italian explorer Christopher Columbus, who sailed to the Americas and came across several Indigenous groups during his travels. Often credited for discovering the Americas, most view Columbus as a symbol of the harm caused by European colonization in the Americas and Caribbean region.
On X, that sentiment is shared time and again and we’ve got several replies from X listed below.
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Photo: Getty
