Framingham School Committee To Discuss Columbus Day Issue

The Framingham School Committee is planning to take on the hotly contested issue of whether or not the district should continue celebrating Columbus day or move to Indigenous Peoples' Day. Framingham would be joining in on the controversial national conversation on whether Columbus day should be revered or to use the day as a symbol of support for the indigenous people who were killed during colonization.

The committee plans to discuss the topic but not formally vote on it altogether. The discussion will be a segue to allow the board to gauge how they should proceed with the research and report for the holiday. School committee members have expressed the need to be thoughtful and collaborate with the rest of the city government and public before making any decisions. The discussion will be held Dec. 19th.

Framingham is not the first to consider replacing Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples' Day. Somerville Public Schools made the switch this year with the support and backing of the city mayor. In a statement about the adaptation of the new holiday, Mayor Joseph Curtatone said "This is not a case of erasing history. It is a case of recognizing the fuller scope of history and being more respectful toward those to whom it was unkind. We still have descendants of the first people who populated these lands among us. We should not make a celebration of their tragedy."

The city of Somerville now recognizes the second Monday of Oct. as Indigenous Peoples' Day and celebrates accordingly. Dec. 19 could be the beginning of a very similar discussion in Framingham.

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