As many people enjoy this extended weekend, most forget about the actual purpose of the holiday. Columbus Day is a day to celebrate the Americas, the man who “discovered” the continents, and the Italian Americans from which Christopher Columbus came.

However, Columbus is not really the hero some people think he is. Though he has done some good, he did a lot of bad as well. There is a much better alternative to celebrating a man who ended up having 90% of a population killed, as well as many other horrible things.

Why don’t we celebrate the people who were here first? After all, Columbus didn’t truly discover the Americas. The indigenous peoples who lived and thrived in this land were living peacefully, until European explorers swooped in and decided to call this place their own.

Indigenous Peoples’ Day would be an amazing alternative to the current holiday we celebrate. Recognized by the Biden Administration in 2021, this holiday could be a chance to celebrate the culture and history of the indigenous peoples who were here before Columbus found the Americas.

Some people see Columbus Day as a way to celebrate the day Columbus landed in the Americas. Others simply see it as a way to celebrate Italian American heritage, as Columbus himself is believed to be from Genoa, Italy.

Other people see it as a glorification of the mass genocide of the Indigenous peoples that lived in the Americas.

Though celebrating Italian American heritage is important, I think it would be much better to make a different holiday for that celebration. After all, Columbus Day does seem to revolve more around him than anything else.

Indigenous Peoples’ Day would be a more respectful and better alternative to Columbus Day. It would be a better way to celebrate the spirit that should be behind the holiday, and it would be a holiday we can be proud of.