DENVER (KDVR) — The second Monday of October has been a holiday in the United States for more than 50 years, and while many in Colorado will be joining in celebrations this Monday, what are they actually celebrating?
Columbus Day was designated as a federal holiday in 1968, honoring the controversial explorer who came to the Americas when he landed in what is now the Bahamas in 1492. At the time, Congress believed celebrating Columbus honored “the courage and determination which enabled generations of immigrants from many nations to find freedom and opportunity in America.”
In the decades that have followed, however, many in the U.S. have turned away from celebrating Columbus, as his voyages and legacy through colonialism affected the millions of Indigenous people across North America.
Now, many state and local governments choose to honor the first inhabitants of North America instead of Columbus Day, celebrating Indigenous Peoples’ Day on the second Monday of October. So, what does Colorado celebrate?
Does Colorado celebrate Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples’ Day?
That answer is actually neither.
In 2020, the state legislature removed Columbus Day from the state holidays and opted to replace it with Cabrini Day, celebrated on the first Monday of October, honoring an Italian nun’s contributions to Colorado.
When the push to retitle Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples’ Day started gaining traction, many Italian Americans denounced the move, saying it dishonors the legacy of Italian immigrants to the U.S.
Colorado’s answer to remove Columbus Day and opt for Cabrini Day instead was an attempt to answer both the history of Columbus’s treatment of Indigenous people, while also recognizing Italian contributions to the state.
The legislation declaring Cabrini Day called its namesake, Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini, a “humanitarian champion of immigrants and children” and also denounced Columbus’s legacy.
“In 1492, he was welcomed by the indigenous Taino people to their homeland on the island of Quiqueya, which Columbus renamed Hispaniola,” the bill states. “Fifty years later, the Taino people had been nearly exterminated by Columbus and his successors.”
While the state doesn’t formally recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Gov. Jared Polis on Monday posted on X marking the holiday:
Today and every day, we honor the history and ongoing contributions of Tribal and American Indian/Alaska Native communities in Colorado. From rescinding the 1864 proclamations that led to the Sand Creek Massacre, to extending Indian boarding school research, to recognizing Ute Day and the proud heritage of Indigenous communities — these actions are part of our work to build a Colorado for All.”
Since Colorado does not recognize either Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples’ Day, state offices will not be closed this Monday, but many other local offices around the state will be closed.
Local Colorado governments celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day
While it’s not a state holiday, several local governments across Colorado do recognize the second Monday of the month as Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
The city and county of Denver first recognized the holiday in 2015, making it an official city holiday the next year, and most local offices will be closed this Monday.
“Far too often the contributions of indigenous peoples go unrecognized in our history and textbooks, misrepresenting how much of the United States was settled, including Denver,” then-city councilman Paul Lopez said at the time. He introduced the proclamation honoring Indigenous Peoples’ Day in Denver.
Denver’s government website says it observes the holiday “to honor Indigenous American peoples and commemorate their histories and cultures,” including the Ute, Cheyenne, and Arapaho people, on whose traditional territory Denver now sits.
Several other local governments, including Boulder County and the cities of Boulder, Colorado Springs and Golden, have also recognized Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
Boulder County, Pueblo and Golden have announced their administrative offices will be closed this Monday, though Pueblo’s announcement on its Facebook Page just says its offices will be closed for “the holiday.”
Columbus Day is still a federal holiday
Monday is still a federal holiday, so most federal offices are closed, as are post offices, most banks and federal courts.
Then-President Joe Biden in 2021 proclaimed the holiday Indigenous Peoples’ Day in tandem with Columbus Day, but President Donald Trump this year said the U.S. will only recognize Columbus Day.
“This Columbus Day, we honor his life with reverence and gratitude, and we pledge to reclaim his extraordinary legacy of faith, courage, perseverance, and virtue from the left-wing arsonists who have sought to destroy his name and dishonor his memory,” Trump said in an Oct. 9 proclamation.
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