Renaming Columbus Day Was Never the End Goal

"Every year, my tribe-the Aquinnah Wampanoag-celebrates Cranberry Day on the second Tuesday in October. It's one of our most important gatherings, when the tribe comes together to pick wild cranberries in the bogs by the beach. Starting early in the morning, we spread out across the squelchy bogs, steadily filling buckets and baskets with the firm, red berries. I grew up away from our homelands on Martha's Vineyard, but my family always made a trip back to the island for Cranberry Day."

"The holiday fell the day after Columbus Day, meaning we could have a four-day weekend to spend on the island, but the juxtaposition of those two days always seemed ironic to me. When many states and cities began to observe Indigenous Peoples' Day instead of Columbus Day, not much changed for us. We still spend the day after like countless generations of Wampanoags before us have-picking cranberries and catching up around a fire."

"Joe Biden was the first president to observe Indigenous Peoples' Day, although he did not make it a federal holiday. This year, Trump signed a proclamation for Columbus Day, calling Christopher Columbus the "original American hero." The proclamation also says, "Columbus has been a prime target of a vicious and merciless campaign to erase our history, slander our heroes, and attack our heritage." This spring, Trump had said that he would bring Columbus Day "back from the ashes.""

Every year the Aquinnah Wampanoag tribe celebrates Cranberry Day on the second Tuesday in October, gathering to pick wild cranberries in coastal bogs and reconnect around a fire. The holiday follows Columbus Day, creating an ironic juxtaposition as the tribe continues ancestral practices regardless of national observances. Many places have adopted Indigenous Peoples' Day in place of Columbus Day, but daily tribal traditions remain unchanged. Political actions have contested renaming and DEI efforts, and Trump issued a proclamation praising Columbus while Biden observed Indigenous Peoples' Day without making it a federal holiday. These developments prompt reflection on the meaning and value of Indigenous Peoples' Day.

Read at The Nation