Wellesley Considers Making Columbus Day Indigenous Peoples Day

WELLESLEY — Residents debated whether Columbus Day should be changed to Indigenous Peoples Day at a public forum with the Select Board Monday. The request came from a petition from the town group, World of Wellesley (WOW) asking the town to consider changing the October holiday as a way to acknowledge the genocide of Native Americans and the loss of their homelands that began with Christopher Columbus's arrival to America. Board chair Jack Morgan told the public no decision would be made Monday night and that the purpose of the meeting was to listen.

The national debate over Columbus Day has reached Beacon Hill, with Rep. Jack Patrick Lewis sponsoring a bill, H.3665, that would officially change Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day in Massachusetts. The Massachusetts Indigenous Peoples Day coalition is calling for people and organizations to submit written testimony before May 7 in support of the legislation. Cambridge, Somerville, Brookline, Northampton, and other Massachusetts communities have already chosen to celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day instead.

The petition that started the conversation in Wellesley said it would like the town to follow the lead of other communities across the state and hear the voices of indigenous people across the country calling for Columbus Day to no longer be celebrated.

"Please support this resolution because it reflects your values and the values of our schools, who are educating our children about the importance of human rights, including the knowledge and understanding that Indigenous people lived on this land since time immemorial, tens of thousands of years before Columbus arrived in 1492, and they continue to live and thrive amongst us despite 527 years of colonization and institutionalized suppression of their cultures and voices," the petition reads.

WOW President Michelle Chalmers in her opening remarks asked residents to listen and respect the call from indigenous people across the country to change Columbus Day to Indigneous Peoples Day.

"It is an important request for a nation's people all over the country to be recognized for their existence and humanity," Chalmers said. "The World of Wellesley believes this aligns with our town values, the pledge of the Select Board, and the mission of making Wellesley a welcoming place for everyone."

Several residents agreed with Chalmers in supporting the holiday change. Jackie Katz, a history teacher at Wellesley High School said every year, she hears students asking why Columbus is celebrated.

"Columbus Day is just one of those days when I feel, wow, we are failing at this," Katz said.

Other residents were strongly against getting rid of Columbus Day. Paul Cremonini, a third generation Italian American, spoke on behalf of Wellesley's Italo-American Club. He said that although he's enjoyed listening to both sides, he and other club members feel differently about Columbus Day.

"We express no animosity to those individuals who wish to eliminate the designation change," Cremonini said. "However, we feel strongly that pitting one group against another serves no constructive purpose and the best possible solution to the opposing views would be to designate the date as both Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples Day."

Wellesley resident Joan Aandeg presented her perspective as a Native American. She began by greeting the public in her native language of the Ojibwe Anishinaabe people and explained why her and other Native Americans do not celebrate Columbus Day.

"Indigenous people do not celebrate Columbus because to us, Columbus is the first person who came here and initiated the genocide of the indigenous people of this hemisphere..." Before Columbus there must have been well over 1,000 tribes — many were completely wiped out."

According to Aandeg, there are 567 federally recognized tribes today.

Bruce Franco, whose against changing the holiday, said he knows Columbus treated indigenous people "unfairly," but argued indigenous people were no less violent than Columbus. He said he takes issue with the school system only telling one side of the story.

"An artist doesn't paint half a picture..." Franco said. "If Columbus didn't do exactly what he did, exactly when he did, the entire arc of history would have changed. None of us would be sitting here tonight...I don't think anyone disputes the fact that indigenous people were here first. Columbus discovered America for the Europeans."

A future public forum has not yet been scheduled, but WOW expects to hold a public meeting later in the spring.

More Massachusetts Indigenous People's Day Stories

• Brookline To Change Columbus Day To 'Indigenous People's Day'
• Cambridge Celebrates Indigenous People's Day as More Cities Ditch 'Colombus Day'
• Somerville Drops Columbus Day For Indigenous Peoples' Day