I’m taking today, October 13, 2025, off. As I announced at church yesterday, I moved my day off from Tuesday to Monday. I did that because I wanted to celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day. I know that some people would characterize my doing so as politically correct or excessively inclusive, but I don’t think it is either one of those things. Indeed although Indigenous Peoples’ Day is a direct rebuke of the legacy of Christopher Columbus, it is actually a continuation of the impulse that first led to Columbus Day. I didn’t explain that from the pulpit because it would have taken too long, but I want to explain my own personal reasons here. I fear that I’m not going to do an adequate job, but I’m going to try. This is going to be a long post, so I encourage you to grab some tea, settle in, and get comfortable.
For me, Indigenous Peoples’ Day is an attempt to begin the process of coming to terms with and addressing the harm done to Native Americans. As a nation, we have a lot to answer for and because of our connections to previous denominations, the United Methodist Church also has a lot to answer for. Observing Indigenous Peoples’ Day is a small step in the right direction.
In observing the day we acknowledge that we as a nation (and as a church) have benefited from the harm done to native peoples by those who came before us. This is not a matter of each of us being personally responsible for what was done. Instead, it is a recognition that the previous behavior of the nation and church that we are rightfully thankful to be a part of was not only misguided and regrettable but sinful and wrong. I rejoice in being a citizen of the United States and I am thankful to be part of the United Methodist Church. But to the extent that I am happy to claim the heritage of my country and the tradition of my church, I also have to be willing to admit and lament the times my country and my church have done wrong. Observing Indigenous Peoples’ Day is for me both an admission and a lament.
But how is the observation of Indigenous Peoples’ Day like the celebration of Columbus Day? Well we need to separate Columbus Day from Christopher Columbus himself. Columbus is famous because he underestimated the circumference of the earth and got lost. He then did a lot of horrible things that have been swept under the rug. But while I grew up thinking the reason we had Columbus Day was to celebrate Christopher Columbus, his accomplishments were not the primary reason for a day with his name on it.
No, as Britannica.com puts it:
“The direct impetus for declaring the anniversary of Columbus’s arrival a national holiday was the mass lynching of 11 Italian Americans in New Orleans in 1891. One of the largest lynchings in U.S. history, it occurred during a time of widespread anti-immigrant and anti-Italian sentiment in the country and one year after the murder of New Orleans’ police chief, which was blamed on the city’s Italian population. In all, 19 Italians were to be tried for the murder, the weak evidence for which was exposed when 6 of the accused were acquitted and 3 were granted mistrials. Before the rest of the accused could be tried, a mob stormed the city’s prison and shot to death 11 Italians (a few of whom were not among the accused). The event threatened diplomatic relations between Italy and the United States, and, to appease the Italian government, U.S. Pres. Benjamin Harrison proclaimed the 400th anniversary of Columbus’s arrival a national holiday in 1892, intending it to be a one-time celebration.” [1]
So there you have it, Columbus Day was a reluctant attempt to recognize, acknowledge, and partially atone for the wrongs done to Italian immigrants. Unfortunately, In the process, it elevated the status of a man who did some dreadful things and whose “discovery” led to dreadful things being done on a large scale for a long time.
But, as I understand it, the intention of the establishment of both days was the same—to acknowledge a historical wrong and attempt to begin to make amends. My country’s treatment of both Native Americans and Italian Americans was wrong. Today, as I celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day, I’ll also remember those 11 Italians who were lynched in 1891. As for Columbus, he is a reminder that this fallen, sinful world often makes heroes out of people who would be better forgotten and I’ll try not to think of him at all.
There are a lot of good things about the United States of America. (Just as there are a lot of good things about the United Methodist Church.) Acknowledging the sins of the past is the first step to becoming even better in the future.
[1] Look, I know that an encyclopedia is not the best source of information, but this is an excellent, succinct summary that is accessible to everyone at https://www.britannica.com/topic/Columbus-Day.