Local News
La Crosse to recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day, not Columbus Day
Columbus Day is on its way toward getting erased from the calendar — at least in the city of La Crosse.
A city council committee has approved a resolution to recognize what would be Columbus Day, as Indigenous Peoples’ Day instead.
The city would join just a few dozen other communities across the nation making the move, and it’s about time, says Daniel Green, a lecturer at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.
“My students and I, preparing, are having the time of our lives because we’re going to celebrate,” Green said. “On Monday, we’re going to replace de facto Columbus Day — this villian that we’ve heard about — with some recognition from a long, suffering people.”
The full council will vote on the resolution that’s sailing through the city council approval process. Mayor Tim Kabat already has plans a proclamation marking the day on Monday.
Green says this is a long overdue based on what he calls, the acts of “villain” and the subjugation of Native people.
“We don’t need to interpret this,” Green said. “This is not revisionist history. What we got, the story of the hero admiral, was revisionist history.”
Part of the resolution recognizes that the city of La Crosse was “built upon the homelands of indigenous people” and the city was a “removal point for native peoples.”
R Thornhill
October 4, 2018 at 11:21 am
Columbus never stepped foot on American soil, and Indians are not indigenous to America, they also immigrated from Asia. They may have gotten here first but they are not from here. You would think a professor would know that.
Ron Malzer
October 7, 2018 at 11:05 am
The term “Indians” preserves the mistaken idea of Columbus that he had reached the East Indies; “Indians” are people whose birth or heritage stems from the modern-day “India”. After at least 12,000 years of settlement in the Americas, First Peoples have earned the right to call themselves “native” or “indigenous”.
Joe
October 4, 2018 at 9:32 pm
This continuous, sorry for everything that has ever happened mantra is getting really old. People need to seriously quite complaining when any little thing rubs them the wrong way because they build these little things up until they seem like big things. The old mountain out of a mole hill thing. It is time to put on the adult pants and move on with life. In case you did not get it I do not agree with this.
Doug
October 5, 2018 at 1:05 pm
Did I miss where the community could voice their opinion about this at a town hall meeting, or something similar? Was it on a local ballot, for the people to vote their choice ? Looks to be that local Government made the choice, not considering public discourse and desire for their city.
Kathy
October 5, 2018 at 2:50 pm
I think this is great! I would much rather celebrate an amazing culture that has lived respectfully within its environment for centuries than one Italian guy who didn’t really discover anything. Thank you to the city council committee and Mayor Kabat!
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