Seattle to Celebrate Indigenous Peoples' Day

[Deleted]

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/i...attle-26005980

"The Seattle City Council has voted to celebrate Indigenous Peoples' Day on the same day as the federally recognized holiday, Columbus Day.

The resolution that passed unanimously Monday honors the contributions and culture of Native Americans and the indigenous community in Seattle. Indigenous Peoples' Day will be celebrated on the second Monday in October.

Tribal members and other supporters say the move recognizes the rich history of people who have inhabited the area for centuries.

"This action will allow us to bring into current present day our valuable and rich history, and it's there for future generations to learn," said Fawn Sharp, president of the Quinault Indian Nation on the Olympic Peninsula. She is also president of the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians.

"Nobody discovered Seattle, Washington," she said to a round of applause.

Several Italian-Americans and others objected to the move, saying Indigenous Peoples' Day honors one group while disregarding the Italian heritage of others.

Columbus Day is a federal holiday that commemorates the arrival of Christopher Columbus, who was Italian, in the Americas on Oct. 12, 1492. It's not a legal state holiday in Washington.

"We don't argue with the idea of Indigenous Peoples' Day. We do have a big problem of it coming at the expense of what essentially is Italian Heritage Day," said Ralph Fascitelli, an Italian-American who lives in Seattle, speaking outside the meeting.

"This is a big insult to those of us of Italian heritage. We feel disrespected," Fascitelli said. He added, "America wouldn't be America without Christopher Columbus."

Seattle Mayor Ed Murray is expected to sign the resolution Oct. 13, his spokesman Jason Kelly said.

The Bellingham City Council also is concerned that Columbus Day offends some Native Americans. It will consider an ordinance Oct. 13 to recognize the second Monday in October as Coast Salish Day.

The Seattle School Board decided last week to have its schools observe Indigenous Peoples' Day on the same day as Columbus Day. Earlier this year, Minneapolis also decided to designate that day as Indigenous Peoples' Day. South Dakota, meanwhile, celebrates Native American Day.

Seattle councilmember Bruce Harrell said he understood the concerns from people in the Italian-American community, but he said, "I make no excuses for this legislation." He said he co-sponsored the resolution because he believes the city won't be successful in its social programs and outreach until "we fully recognize the evils of our past."

Councilmember Nick Licata, who is Italian-American, said he didn't see the legislation as taking something away, but rather allowing everyone to celebrate a new day where everyone's strength is recognized.

David Bean, a member of the Puyallup Tribal Council, told councilmembers the resolution demonstrates that the city values tribal members' history, culture, welfare and contributions to the community."


So what do you guys think about this? Are you mad like the Italians... which is kinda weird cuz their hero is a genocidal rapist...

[Pendulous]

Kind of a dick move to celebrate it on the same day as Columbus Day.

Then again, Columbus day being a national holiday has all sorts of wrong in it, so I could not care any less.

[Herecius]

America would've turned out probably exactly the same with or without Columbus.

Now, the Bahamas and Haiti on the other hand...

[Elegiac]

Kind of a dick move to celebrate it on the same day as Columbus Day.

I believe that is the point.

As to the Italian Americans, I'm sure the indigenous peoples had much bigger beef with the diseases and slavery Columbus brought.

[rogueMatthias]

Does this also celebrate the Aboriginies that had actually populated the Americas first before THEY WERE WIPED OUT COMPLETELY by the "Native" Americans?

History has a strange way of repeating itself.

[srathgar]

Does this also celebrate the Aboriginies that had actually populated the Americas first before THEY WERE WIPED OUT COMPLETELY by the "Native" Americans?

History has a strange way of repeating itself.

Since when do we call the native americans aboriginies? was fairly certain that was an australian term for the natives to australia.

[rogueMatthias]

Since when do we call the native americans aboriginies? was fairly certain that was an australian term for the natives to australia.

It was those very same australian natives that, from recent evidence, it seems once populated a lot of areas in America and were the first to discover it.

When what are now called "Native Americans" arrived originally from Asia, the land wasn't empty plains with no people.

[ItachiZaku]

Kind of a dick move to celebrate it on the same day as Columbus Day.

Then again, Columbus day being a national holiday has all sorts of wrong in it, so I could not care any less.

Yeah, it is pretty jacked up.

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Since when do we call the native americans aboriginies? was fairly certain that was an australian term for the natives to australia.

That's what the Canadians call us as well, at least in surveys. American surveys "lump" us in with Alaskans.

On the same subject, why do American surveys specifically ask if you are hispanic?

[Nihilan]

*snip*

On the same subject, why do American surveys specifically ask if you are hispanic?

How else will La Migra know where to come looking for you?

[BadPhish]

This is more far left wakkos that have this mind set that if you are not hypersensitive to any possible group of peoples and their potential to be offended then you are just a racists or bigot. Personally I think we in the US should be celebrating Amerigo Vespucci Day, that guy who actually found what would be the US and was named after him, Amerigo, America (see what I did there?). The Caribbean Islands can celebrate Columbus Day if they want.

Not to say that we should ignore the Native tribes left in the US, but this is obviously just a political stunt to gain brownie points with their base going into a mid-term election. IF they are gonna do it, do right and give it the respect its due.

This is similar to the Minnesota or Montana (I don't recall which) state legislature that forced the name change of the Asian Carp to Invasive Carp because they felt the name "Asian Carp" was racist and insensitive... the Asian carp which is indigenous to China and Vietnam, that big area called Asia, it's on a globe. Just making a whole lot of something out of nothing.

[Wildtree]

Given how Columbus not once set foot onto North American land, it's rather odd for the US to have a Columbus day..
And Italo-Americans should find a better celebrity to honor in that regard.

[mikeakanice]

Kind of a dick move to celebrate it on the same day as Columbus Day.

Then again, Columbus day being a national holiday has all sorts of wrong in it, so I could not care any less.

I was going to say. Columbus day is the biggest insult to factual history that the world has ever seen.

[Reeve]

I'm all for it. There's a bunch of people I'd want to give a federal holiday to before Columbus.

[Nygma7]

My biggest issue with this is that it just smacks of more Seattle grandstanding. I grew up in the area and love it, but I swear Seattle does stuff like this (and this) not to solve any problem, but mainly just to up their progressive/green/enlightened cred.

"WE ARE THE MOSTEST PROGRESSIVE IN TEH WORLD! QUICK, ENACT MORE PROGRESSIVE LEGISLATION!"

[Endus]

John Oliver's "How Is This Still A Thing" regarding Columbus Day was inspired.

The man was;
1> A genocidal racist
2> Who totally screwed up the math regarding the circumference of the world
3> Got lost, and almost died, and would have had he not practically run aground on a continent he had no reason to think was there
4> Not connected to the United States in any way whatsoever; other Spanish explorers got into what is now the southern USA, but Columbus was pretty much entirely in the Caribbean.
5> Not even the first European to reach the Americas. The Vikings had him beat by centuries, and there's solid evidence to think the Basques, among others, were also stopping off over here well before 1492.

There's no reason to celebrate this guy. Literally none. The only qualities he had were bad ones, and he isn't connected to American history in any appreciable way.

[Independent voter]

On the same subject, why do American surveys specifically ask if you are hispanic?

I know! Hispanics are Caucasian so they have to ask separately if you are Hispanic.

[Vizardlorde]

Yeah, it is pretty jacked up.

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That's what the Canadians call us as well, at least in surveys. American surveys "lump" us in with Alaskans.

On the same subject, why do American surveys specifically ask if you are hispanic?

To look at crime rates and say whites are responsible for 30% of the crime but 70% of those are hispanic...

[Kellhound]

I know! Hispanics are Caucasian so they have to ask separately if you are Hispanic.

Because the US is too lazy to break apart those who came from Spain and those who were enslaved by Spaniards. Also because the US likes its institutional discrimination.

[Pendulous]

3> Got lost, and almost died, and would have had he not practically run aground on a continent he had no reason to think was there

I thought I read somewhere that the trips to America were basically pleasure cruises, and there wasn't any kind of harm toward him or his crew. Despite the fact that slaves he brought back from the Bahamas mostly died on the trip.

[OzoAndIndi]

Wow.. I didn't realize Columbus Day was any big deal... to, like, anyone.

No, sorry, I have to side with the Native folks. Not to mention that once a date has a "holiday" set for it - it does not make it off limits to anything else being celebrated on that date.