Spokane just changed Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples’ Day. The Spokane City Council voted to approve the referendum on Monday evening, August 29, following the lead of cities like Seattle and Minneapolis.
A report from the Spokesman-Review states that the measure was carried by a 6-1 vote, backed by the support of Spokane City Council President Ben Stuckart. He spoke out in support of the measure before it passed.
Representatives from many local tribes were in attendance to show their support for the vote. That included members of the Spokane, Colville, Inupiat, and Nez Perce tribes. The Spokesman-Review quoted a 13-year-old member of the Inupiat tribe who was in attendance. She spoke in part about how she felt classrooms don’t teach the full story.
The resolution to change the name of Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples’ Day was put forth by Spokane City Council President Ben Stuckart. An earlier report from the Spokesman-Review touched on his motivations for writing it up, where Stuckart stated that Columbus should not be celebrated. He also noted that Columbus had enslaved indigenous people on the island of Hispaniola, feeling that this was not someone who Spokane needed to be honoring.
Within the resolution, the Spokane City Council outlined what the efforts to pass the legislation meant in terms of recognition and respect. It was called, “an opportunity to celebrate the thriving cultures and values of the American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Indigenous Peoples of our region.”
In the state of Washington, Columbus Day is not an official state holiday. State workers still have to be on the job, schools are in session, and there is a long history of protests against the celebration of Christopher Columbus. This dates all the way back to when President Franklin Roosevelt declared that October 12 would be Columbus Day. President Lyndon Johnson would later declare it a federal public holiday to be celebrated on the second Monday of October.
The resolution is officially in place for the City of Spokane, likely setting the stage for other major metropolitan areas to make a move from calling it Columbus Day to calling it Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
Source
A report from the Spokesman-Review states that the measure was carried by a 6-1 vote, backed by the support of Spokane City Council President Ben Stuckart. He spoke out in support of the measure before it passed.
Representatives from many local tribes were in attendance to show their support for the vote. That included members of the Spokane, Colville, Inupiat, and Nez Perce tribes. The Spokesman-Review quoted a 13-year-old member of the Inupiat tribe who was in attendance. She spoke in part about how she felt classrooms don’t teach the full story.
The resolution to change the name of Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples’ Day was put forth by Spokane City Council President Ben Stuckart. An earlier report from the Spokesman-Review touched on his motivations for writing it up, where Stuckart stated that Columbus should not be celebrated. He also noted that Columbus had enslaved indigenous people on the island of Hispaniola, feeling that this was not someone who Spokane needed to be honoring.
Within the resolution, the Spokane City Council outlined what the efforts to pass the legislation meant in terms of recognition and respect. It was called, “an opportunity to celebrate the thriving cultures and values of the American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Indigenous Peoples of our region.”
In the state of Washington, Columbus Day is not an official state holiday. State workers still have to be on the job, schools are in session, and there is a long history of protests against the celebration of Christopher Columbus. This dates all the way back to when President Franklin Roosevelt declared that October 12 would be Columbus Day. President Lyndon Johnson would later declare it a federal public holiday to be celebrated on the second Monday of October.
The resolution is officially in place for the City of Spokane, likely setting the stage for other major metropolitan areas to make a move from calling it Columbus Day to calling it Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
Source
Responses to "Spokane Changes Columbus Day To Indigenous Peoples’ Day"