It’s not Columbus Day in Wake schools. Most students are off for Indigenous Peoples Day.

Most Wake County students don’t have classes on Monday, but it’s not to celebrate Columbus Day.

The Wake County school system annually recognizes the second Monday in October as Indigenous Peoples Day, and not as the federal holiday of Columbus Day. Students at most district schools have the day off as a teacher workday with no classes.

“Indigenous Peoples’ Day is a holiday that municipalities and cities throughout the United States celebrate to honor Native American peoples and commemorate their histories and cultures,” Wake posted for last year’s holiday. “The holiday recognizes the legacy and impact of colonialism on Native communities, and it also celebrates the cultures, contributions, and resilience of contemporary Native peoples.”

This year’s commemoration isn’t as large as last year. But the school district’s Office of Equity posted its recognition of the day on social media.

District planners try to schedule Indigenous Peoples Day as a teacher workday each year for at least traditional-calendar schools.

Indigenous Peoples Day

Since 1892, Columbus Day has been recognized as a federal holiday in honor of Christopher Columbus’ arrival in the New World. But in 1977, the International Conference on Discrimination against Indigenous Populations in the Americas said it should be celebrated instead as Indigenous Peoples Day.

Joe Biden became the first U.S. president to officially recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day in 2021. Former President Donald Trump charged that “radical activists” are trying to undermine Columbus’ legacy.

In a 2022 presentation, Wake school administrators said Indigenous Peoples Day is meant to honor the accomplishments of indigenous people “even as they faced assimilation, discrimination, and genocide spanning generations.”

The North Carolina Association of Educators and the the group’s Wake County chapter posted about Indigenous Peoples Day.

“We live on the traditional lands served by the Tuscarora Nation,” Wake NCAE posted Monday on X, formerly called Twitter. “We honor America’s First People & all elders, past, present, & emerging. We’re called on to learn & share about the tribal history, culture, & contributions that have been suppressed in telling the story of America.”

Native American population in NC

North Carolina has the nation’s largest Native American population east of the Mississippi River. The state officially recognizes eight Native American tribes.

According to state records, there were 15,865 Native American students enrolled in public schools last school year.

Earlier this year, state lawmakers passed a law requiring public high schools to allow students who are members of a state or federally recognized Indian tribe to wear objects such as bird feathers and plumes at graduation ceremonies.