Friend,

Today is a day where we celebrate, recognize, and honor the beautiful traditions and cultures of Indigenous people, not just in America, but around the world — today is Indigenous People’s Day.

There’s a few ways you can celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day — check out some resources we collected for you!

Last October marked the first time a U.S. president has officially recognized Indigenous Peoples' Day. President Biden issued a proclamation last year to observe the second Monday of October as a day to honor Native Americans, their resilience, and their contributions to American society throughout history, even as they faced forced assimilation, discrimination, and genocide spanning generations.

The move attempts to shift focus away from Columbus Day, the federal holiday celebrating Christopher Columbus. For Native Americans, Columbus Day is an annual reminder of the past 500 years of torture and oppression by European colonizers like Columbus and those who settled in America.

In honor of Indigenous Peoples’ Day, we have an opportunity to reflect, recognize, celebrate and educate ourselves on the cultural richness and contributions of Indigenous and Afro-Indigenous people.

Take a few minutes to check out our resources on how you can recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

The harmful narratives and inaccuracies in Columbus’ legacy of his “discovery” of the Americas have been criticized for generations by Native Americans. Even though the proclamation is a step in the right direction, Columbus Day is still a federal holiday and still celebrated by the majority of our country. We can change this by continuing to put pressure on Congress to pass legislation that will change the second Monday of October to Indigenous Peoples’ Day. 

This change helps increase visibility for Native people in the United States and helps pave the way for real progressive change across Indigenous communities. But for us to continue to accomplish bigger changes in our government we have to protect, honor, and listen to Indigenous communities. 

When we take time to reflect on our history — as uncomfortable as it may be for some — we are taking the first step in acknowledging our troubled past. From there we can continue to educate ourselves and ultimately come together to fight for the protection and rights for all Afro-Indigneous and Indigenous people throughout our nation.

Reflecting with you today,

NextGen America