10/13/2025
Today we observe Columbus Day / Indigenous Peoplesâ Day â a date that holds two overlapping, painful, and deeply human stories about the need to belong.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, ItalianâAmericans lobbied for Columbus Day to claim recognition, acceptance, and a place in American life after facing prejudice and exclusion. Columbusâs Italian heritage and his place in American mythology gave the Italian-American community a symbol through which to assert legitimacy and belonging.
Over time, however, that origin story has increasingly been seen alongside another: the dispossession, violence, and erasure of Indigenous peoples that began with European colonization. For many Indigenous people, the holiday is a reminder of ongoing invisibility and marginalizationâthe same marginalization that led to Columbus Day being named a U.S. federal holiday in 1937.
Naming both histories together doesnât excuse wrongdoing or equate harms. These are not competing claims of moral equivalence. They are connected human experiences born from the same basic need to be seen, heard, and included.
We donât know what this day should be called, but its spirit of inclusivity remains as important as ever. The fundamental human need to belong has fueled some of our countryâs most consequential expansions of rights: the 19th Amendment granting women the vote; the Civil Rights Act (1964) and Voting Rights Act (1965) that began dismantling Jim Crow; the Americans with Disabilities Act (1990) expanding access and legal protections; Supreme Court rulings culminating in marriage equality (Obergefell v. Hodges, 2015) that advanced LGBTQ+ dignity; and ongoing Indigenous, immigrant, and labor movements pushing for sovereignty, fair treatment, and economic justice.
So letâs be inspired by the spirit of this holiday, celebrate the success stories of marginalized communities, and acknowledge the work that remains in building a better, more inclusive world. Letâs listen before judging, welcome difficult conversations, and lean into the discomfort that helps us growâbonus points if it happens over a cup or two of coffee.