More than a dozen states recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Should New York be next?

It’s been a cultural battle in the United States for decades: Should Christopher Columbus still be honored with a holiday, or should the second Monday in October celebrate Indigenous communities instead? More than a dozen states already recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day, and a petition is calling on New York to be the next.

The petition, titled “Tell Kathy Hochul: Change Columbus Day to Indigenous People’s Day,” was published via the civil rights organization Color of Change and is endorsed by New York state Senator Jessica Ramos and New York Assemblymember Marcela Mitaynes. As of October 10, the petition has more than 21,000 signatures out of its 25,000 signature goal.

“The yearly celebration of Christopher Columbus for his ‘discovery of the Americas’ is painful and a gross distortion of history,” reads the petition. “Columbus introduced the transatlantic slave trade to the Americas and left behind a violent legacy of the oppression, rape, enslavement, and mass murder of Black, Brown, and Indigenous peoples.”

One argument in favor of Columbus Day is that it honors an important piece of Italian American history. But the petition disputes that, arguing instead that Italian Americans deserve a better hero than Columbus.

“The great contributions to our state by the Italian American community should be represented by someone among the countless Italian Americans who fought to make life better for others,” the petition reads.

States that recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day instead of or in conjunction with Columbus Day include Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia, and Wisconsin.