Columbus Day Is Now Indigenous Peoples Day For Pittsfield Schools

The Pittsfield School Committee decided yesterday that it would not reinstate Columbus Day in the school calendar.

 Pittsfield is not the only community who has made this choice Time Magazine online says that Each year, more cities, states, and universities opt to celebrate an alternative to Columbus Day: Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

I found out that controversy over celebrating Columbus Days goes back many years.

The Berkshire Eagle reports that dozens of Italian-American residents pushed committee members to change their minds to no avail.

Ward 2 City Councilor Kevin Morandi told them that it has divided Pittsfield, but members of the School Committee said their duty is more to the children of Pittsfield Public Schools than to an opinionated public.

They said Christopher Columbus would retain his place in history courses but they couldn’t, in good conscience, ask city children to celebrate him with a holiday. The controversy stems from a committee vote in January to rename the second Monday in November as Indigenous Peoples Day.

Here are the states and cities that celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day. Santa Cruz, Calif., and the state of South Dakota adopted the similar Native American Day in place of Columbus Day in 1990.

States:
Minnesota
Vermont
Alaska
South Dakota

Cities:
Los Angeles
Los Angeles County
Berkeley, Calif.
Santa Cruz, Calif.
San Fernando, Calif.
Burbank, Calif.
Long Beach, Calif.
San Luis Obispo, Calif.
Watsonville, Calif.
Seattle
Olympia, Wash.
Spokane, Wash.
Bainbridge Island, Wash.
Minneapolis
Grand Rapids, Minn.
St. Paul, Minn.
Denver
Durango, Colo.
Boulder, Colo.
Phoenix
Ann Arbor, Mich.
Traverse City, Mich.
Alpena, Mich.
East Lansing, Mich.
Ypsilanti, Mich.
Albuquerque, N.M.
Santa Fe
Portland
Eugene, Ore.
Newstead, New York
Village of Lewiston, New York
Ithaca, New York
Anadarko, Okla.
Norman, Okla.
Tulsa, Okla.
Tahlequah, Okla.
Carrboro, N.C.
Asheville, N.C.
Belfast, Maine
Bangor, Maine
Orono, Maine
Brunswick, Maine
Portland, Maine
Bexar County, Texas
Cambridge, Mass.
Amherst, Mass.
Northampton, Mass.
Harpers Ferry, W.Va.
Lawrence, Kansas
Davenport, Iowa
Durham, N.H.
Moscow, Idaho
Oberlin, Ohio
Salt Lake City
Austin, Texas
Nashville
Madison, Wis.