Malinda Maynor Lowery, a scholar of Native American history and member of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, recently wrote an article that dives into the growing popularity of Indigenous Peoples Day. According to Lowery, "More and more towns and cities across the country are electing to celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day as an alternative to – or in addition to – the day intended to honor Columbus’ voyages". Read Lowery's full article here.
When did this alternative celebration first start? Berkeley, CA became the first city to celebrate the holiday after a group protested Ronald Reagan's Christopher Columbus Quincentenary Jubilee Commission. (Source)
Although Columbus Day is still widely recognized across the country, Indigenous Peoples Day is growing as a better opportunity to acknowledge the role of indigenous people in our nation’s history.
