DENVER (KDVR) — The second Monday in October has been a holiday in the United States for more than 50 years, and while many in Colorado will be joining in the festivities this Monday, what are they actually celebrating?
It was Columbus Day It was designated a federal holiday in 1968honoring the controversial explorer who first came to the Americas when he arrived in what is now the Bahamas in 1492. At the time, Congress believed that celebrating Columbus honored “the courage and determination which enabled generations of immigrants from many nations to find freedom and opportunity in America.”
But in the decades since, many in the United States have turned away from celebrating Columbus, as his voyages and legacy through colonization affected millions of indigenous people across North America.
Now, many state and local governments are choosing to honor North America’s first peoples instead of Columbus Day, celebrating Indigenous Peoples’ Day on the second Monday in October. So, what does Colorado celebrate?
Does Colorado celebrate Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples’ Day?
This answer actually is not.
In 2020, the state legislature removed Columbus Day from the list of mandates State holidays She chose to replace it with Cabrini Day, celebrated on the first Monday in October, to honor the contributions of an Italian nun in Colorado.
As the campaign to rename Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples’ Day began to gain momentum, many Italian Americans condemned the move, saying it insulted the heritage of Italian immigrants to the United States.
Colorado’s response by removing Columbus Day and choosing Cabrini Day instead was an attempt to answer the history of Columbus’ treatment of indigenous people, while also recognizing Italian contributions to the state.
The legislation declaring Cabrini Day named Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini, her namesake, a “champion of humanity for immigrants and children” and also denounced Columbus’ legacy.
“In 1492, he was welcomed by the indigenous Taino people to their homeland on the island of Quequia, which Columbus renamed Hispaniola,” the bill reads. “Fifty years later, the Taíno people had been almost exterminated by Columbus and his successors.”
Since Colorado does not recognize Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples’ Day, state offices will not be closed Monday, but many other local offices across the state will be.
Colorado local governments celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Although it is not a state holiday, many local governments throughout Colorado recognize the second Monday of the month as Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
The City and County of Denver first recognized the holiday in 2015, making it appropriate A public holiday in the city next yearMost local offices will be closed on Monday.
“Too often, the contributions of indigenous people go unacknowledged in our history and textbooks, misrepresenting the settled space of the United States, including Denver,” then-City Councilman Paul Lopez said at the time. Made a proclamation honoring Indigenous Peoples’ Day in Denver.
Denver’s government website says it observes the holiday “to honor Native American peoples and commemorate their histories and cultures,” including the Ute, Cheyenne and Arapaho people, on whose traditional lands Denver now lies.
Several other local governments, including Boulder County and the cities of Boulder, Colorado Springs and Golden, have also recognized Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
Boulder County, Pueblo and golden Its administrative offices announced they will be closed Monday, although Pueblo’s announcement on its Facebook page only says its offices will be closed for the “holiday.”