Kamala Harris Supports Changing Columbus Day To Indigenous People’s Day
Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) told a town hall meeting in New Hampshire on Monday that she supports renaming Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
The presidential candidate’s support is part of a growing movement to re-evaluate the role of Christopher Columbus in the nation’s history and celebrate the shared history and culture of Native Americans. Columbus ― who never actually set foot in what is now the U.S. ― has received increased attention given his mistreatment and enslavement of indigenous people.
In 1992, Berkeley, California became the first U.S. city to make the change. Since then, a total of 56 cities and four states have followed suit.
“Sign me up,” Harris said when asked if she would push for the government to rename the holiday, per BuzzFeed News.
Things you heard from @KamalaHarris in NH town hall tonight:
✅ Make Election Day a federal holiday
✅ Automatic voter reg
✅ Reinstate assault weapons ban
✅ $500/mo tax cut for working fams
✅ Turn Columbus Day into Indigenous Peoples' Day
✅ Medicare for All
✅ Green New Deal— Ian Sams (@IanSams) February 19, 2019
Last year, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) proposed taking Columbus Day off the federal holiday list and replacing it with Election Day.
While I would disagree with your complaint that Americans get too much vacation time (we work some of the longest hours of any dev country & have no Fed required paid leave),
I am willing to compromise by eliminating Columbus Day to give Election Day off.
See? I can be pliant. https://t.co/NITFcBSmxw— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) November 18, 2018
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The U.S. Virgin Islands
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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
