Over the past decades, many cities across the United States have followed the lead of the state of South Dakota (circa 1990) and replaced Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day.
There are many reasons to not celebrate the "legacy" of Christopher Columbus:
1. Many historians are not sure that Columbus was even a gifted explorer...the Nino brothers are probably the ones who should get the credit for guiding these journeys.
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| Pedro Alonso Nino |
2. Even if I wanted to celebrate (which I don't) the first Europeans who came to the Americas, it would be Lief Erikson, not CC.
Columbus never set foot in North America.
3. The westward invasion that accelerated after Columbus' "discovery" led to one of the most brutal genocides in the history of the world...they flogged, slaughtered, raped, burned alive, enslaved, etc. all while laughing/ making sport and getting rich from their takeover.
