A proposal to yank the Columbus Day state holiday from the calendar and recast it as “Indigenous People’s Day” is gaining traction at the statehouse after getting Democratic sponsors in both the Assembly and Senate.
“Indigenous People’s Day reimagines Columbus Day and changes a celebration of colonialism into an opportunity to reveal historical truths about the genocide and oppression of indigenous people in the Americas, to organize against current injustices and to celebrate indigenous resistance,” argues legislation authored by Sen. Jessica Ramos, D-Queens, and Assemblywoman Marcela Mitaynes, D-Brooklyn. The measure is already drawing frowns from Italian-American lawmakers.
