Monday in Evanston: Indigenous Peoples Day? Columbus Day? Neither? Both?

EVANSTON, IL - Evanston Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl signed a proclamation earlier this year indicating her support for an Indigenous Peoples’ Day to be held in the city to honor all the contributions Indigenous people have made to society.

“But I did not specify a specific date and did not say it should specifically be held on Columbus Day,” Tisdahl told Patch this week.

Earlier this year, the Mitchell Museum of the American Indian issued a news release stating Indigenous Peoples’ Day in Evanston was a done deal, and it would indeed replace Columbus Day on Monday, Oct. 10 this year.

That turns out to be somewhat true.

Monday is Indigenous Peoples’ Day in several United States cities, and a celebration of Native American contributions will take place throughout the day at the Mitchell Museum on Central Street, where free admission will be available from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

But Evanston isn’t officially proclaiming the day as Indigenous Peoples’ Day like other cities such as Seattle and Berkeley, Calif. have.

“I gather that some cities have held Indigenous Peoples’ Day instead of Columbus Day, but we are not replacing it on that day,” Tisdahl said.

Kathleen McDonald, executive director at the Mitchell Museum, confirmed that the day to honor Native Americans isn’t official on the city’s end but also noted that the city doesn’t celebrate Columbus Day either.

“Government offices and most businesses remain open and the kids are in school,” said McDonald, who encourages anyone who is off for the day to check out what is planned at the Museum.

From 1:30-2 p.m., an Indigenous Peoples’ Day panel will be held with Musician Scotti Clifford, Filmmaker Patty Loew and Youth Ambassador Rafeal Raza. A concert will take place from 7-9 p.m. that night at Northwestern University to celebrate the day.

Tisdahl mentioned that her proclamation offered support of the Indigenous Peoples’ holiday but did not specify the date. Evanston isn't alone in ignoring Columbus Day either. Several other nearby towns like Winnetka and Lake Forest are also planning business as usual on Monday.

McDonald explains why it’s important that the day most know as Columbus Day is Indigenous Peoples Day as well.

“When we teach about Columbus, it is often not included on how that affected Indigenous people,” McDonald said. “If the day were taught with equality of viewpoints from both sides and a more complete lesson, there wouldn’t be a need to have it on Columbus Day. But with all the parades and festivities associated with Columbus Day, it doesn’t show the full story and it’s very important to Native communities that their story is not excluded.”

McDonald points out that Indigenous Peoples’ Day is not new to the United States. It was first mentioned at a United Nations conference in 1977 and was first adopted by Berkeley in 1992. Since then, several other municipalities in the country have adopted the day as well.

Evanston is the first in the Midwest to (sort of) recognize the holiday.

When asked when the official “Indigenous Peoples’ Day” holiday would be in Evanston, if not on Columbus Day, Tisdahl directed questions on that to the Mitchell Museum.

So that would indeed make it Monday.

Top photo courtesy of the Mitchell Museum of the American Indian