Columbus Day will now be referred to as Indigenous Peoples Day in Boston, according to a controversial executive order from acting Mayor Kim Janey.
“Observing Indigenous Peoples Day is about replacing the colonial myths passed down from generation to generation with the true history of the land upon which our nation was founded,” Janey said on Wednesday.
Boston is the most recent city in Massachusetts to change the name of Columbus Day.
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“It feels amazing. But now, more work,” said Chali’Naru Dones, a Native activist who was with Janey as she signed the order. “Now we want the state, and we want it federal.”
Columbus Day is both a state and federal holiday, and Janey’s order doesn’t invalidate its observation, a report said.
Several Native American groups claim Christopher Columbus delivered suffering and brutality to the people he encountered after crossing the Atlantic Ocean in 1492, the report said.
However, for many Americans, especially the Italian American community, Columbus is a legendary explorer and point of pride for immigrants who came to the United States.
Kim Janey makes Columbus Day Indigenous Peoples’ Day in Bostonhttps://t.co/vlJDHPGc4c
— Boston Herald (@bostonherald) October 7, 2021
Last year, the statue of Columbus in Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park was decapitated.
The park is located in the North End of Boston, home to many Italian Americans.
The statue was given to the Knights of Columbus to keep on private land in the neighborhood, according to a city ruling following community meetings.
The city of Boston can acknowledge the suffering of Native Americans without damaging Italian pride, said a former city councilor and a member of the Sons and Daughters of Italy in America who attended the signing.
Addressing “Acting Mayor Janey’s erasure of Italian-Americans,” Diane Modica asked, “What about the Italian-Americans?”
A quick response from Janey followed.
“Justice is not a zero-sum game, we can lift up the experiences of indigenous peoples, and we can also respect Italian-Americans,” she said.
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The announcement of the name change drew intense criticism, and no public hearings were held on the matter, according to comments by Janey.
Another city councilor ripped Janey’s one-sided order.
“Today’s unilateral action by the acting mayor was a surprise to me,” Lydia Edwards, who represents the North End and East Boston, said. “I don’t believe it encourages the honest, transparent healing conversation we need.”
