Texas marks second year of Indigenous Peoples’ Day recognition, along with Columbus Day
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For the second year, Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples’ Day will both be celebrated in Texas on October 10.
In 2021, Gov. Greg Abbott, for the first time in the state's history, signed a resolution to recognize the second Monday in October as Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
The second Monday in October has already been recognized as the federal holiday, Columbus Day. The day was first federally recognized under President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1937. It became a legal holiday in 1971.
While Columbus Day is a federal holiday, states and local governments can choose to not observe it.
More:Which states and cities officially celebrate Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples’ Day?
In recent years, several municipalities and states have chosen to note Indigenous Peoples’ Day instead of Columbus Day because of the complicated history of Native American people and Europeans who came here.
To date, 14 states — Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, South Dakota, Vermont, Washington, D.C. and Wisconsin — do not officially celebrate Columbus Day. South Dakota has Native American Day instead of Columbus Day.
At least 130 local governments also choose to not celebrate Columbus Day or celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day or a different holiday instead.
Is Indigenous Peoples’ Day a new holiday?
Indigenous Peoples’ Day was first considered by the United Nations conference in 1977.
South Dakota was the first state to celebrate a Native American Day beginning in 1989.
Indigenous Peoples’ Day was first recognized in Berkley, California in 1992, coinciding with the 500th anniversary of Columbus’ arrival in the Americas Oct. 12, 1492.
The holiday, which celebrates the history, culture and contributions of Native Americans, has grown in popularity over the years.
President Joe Biden is the first U.S. president to issue an official proclamation marking Indigenous Peoples’ Day in 2021.
He said in the proclamation that it is a day in which the country “celebrates the invaluable contributions and resilience of Indigenous peoples, recognizes their inherent sovereignty, and commits to honoring the Federal Government’s trust and treaty obligations to Tribal Nations.”
Biden also issued a proclamation Oct. 8, 2021, marking Columbus Day saying, "Today, let this day be one of reflection — on America’s spirit of exploration, on the courage and contributions of Italian Americans throughout the generations, on the dignity and resilience of Tribal Nations and Indigenous communities, and on the work that remains ahead of us to fulfill the promise of our Nation for all."
While some states chosen to mark both Columbus and Ingenious Peoples’ Day, such as Texas, other states are doing away with Columbus Day altogether.
States that did away with Columbus Day
Hawaii celebrates Discoverers’ Day in place of Columbus Day in recognition of the Polynesian discoverers that first came to the Hawaiian Islands.
In 2017, Alaska signed into law recognition of Indigenous Peoples’ Day in Alaska in lieu of Columbus Day.
New Mexico dropped Columbus Day in 2019.
Tennessee moved Columbus Day recognition to the Friday after Thanksgiving.
Colorado instead celebrates Cabrini Day, which began in 2020, in the first Monday of October instead of Columbus Day. This celebrates the humanitarian efforts of Frances Xavier Cabrini and is also the first paid state holiday recognizing a woman in the U.S.
Other states that do not officially observe Columbus Day include Arkansas, parts of California, Delaware, Florida, Iowa, Washington, D.C., Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nevada, North Carolina, parts of North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
Texas celebrates both but neither is official paid holiday
In Texas, Indigenous Peoples’ Day does not replace Columbus Day and both are celebrated the second Monday in October. Neither is an official paid state holiday.
Columbus Day is a federal holiday but is not considered a “major” one. There will not be postal service, and banks will be closed. But most businesses will remain open.
Most nonfederal businesses will remain open, and while school is not usually closed for Columbus Day, Wichita Falls ISD students are out of school this Monday for parent-teacher conferences.
This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: Texas marks second year of Indigenous Peoples’ Day recognition
