Goodbye, Columbus: Austin Rejects Columbus Day In Favor Of Indigenous Peoples Day

AUSTIN, TX — Goodbye, Columbus.

Austin City Council on Thursday voted to replace the traditional Columbus Day observance with Indigenous Peoples Day, an alternative that celebrates Native Americans rather than a controversial explorer many view as nothing more than a ruthless expansionist.

This doesn't mean the federal holiday will change. The federal holiday will still be observed Oct. 9. But locally, the observance will be officially marked as Indigenous Peoples Day instead, city officials explained.

While the change may have not been an emergency, it did secure passage through a 9-1-1 vote. Council member Ellen Troxclair — the most vocal conservative voice on the dais — voted against the measure. Fellow council member Alison Alter abstained.

Councilman Sabino "Pio" Renteria — long an advocate for marginalized community members for whom the Columbus celebration runs counter to their culture's legacy of conquest and appropriation — used an aphorism to encapsulate his stance on the issue. "We have a saying that Columbus didn't discover America," Renteria said. "He was lost."

With the vote, Austin joins a growing list of cities eschewing the celebration of Columbus. Some of those cities that now prefer to celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day are: Amherst, Mass.; Northampton, Mass.; Berkeley, Calif.; San Fernando, Calif.; Santa Cruz, Calif.; San Antonio, TX; Albuquerque, N.M.; Grand Rapids, Mich.; Lawrence, Kan.; Boulder, Colo.; Portland; Seattle.; and more.

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