Indigenous Peoples' Day will be held on October 10th but the Berkshires may be celebrating it on the 9th.

Although the day was still considered Columbus Day up to 1937, many people began calling it Indigenous Peoples’ Day to celebrate the rich culture and the lives of the Native American people.

On October 8th, 2021, President Joe Biden became the first commander in chief to formally recognize Indigenous People’s Day by issuing a proclamation celebrating the holiday.

Despite some misunderstanding of the nature of a presidential proclamation by the media, Indigenous People's Day is not yet a federal holiday.

At least 20 towns in Massachusetts have officially changed the name of Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day while waiting for state-wide legislation to pass.

Sasachiminesh/youtube

The bill would replace the holiday with Indigenous Peoples Day. Changing the 2nd Monday in October to Indigenous People’s Day acknowledges the harmful impact of celebrating Columbus as a hero.

Year by year, the movement to change Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples’ Day spreads to more and more states, towns, and cities across the United States of America.

Newenglandpublicmedia/Youtube

Indigenous Peoples’ Day celebrates, recognizes, and honors the beautiful traditions and cultures of the Indigenous People, not just in America, but around the world. Their way of life and culture carries wisdom and valuable insights into how we can live life more sustainably.

Altogether, 14 U.S. states celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day and not Columbus Day, as well as the District of Columbia.

Here in Massachusetts, more than 130 cities including Arlington, Amherst, Cambridge, Brookline, Marblehead, Great Barrington, Northampton, Provincetown, Somerville, and Salem also celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

Coming up Sunday, October 9th, 2022 from 11 a.m till 4 p.m.
The Berkshire Community Action Council, Inc. will be holding a celebration at The Common Park.

Join Berkshire Community Action Council and our sponsor Greylock Federal Credit Union for an Indigenous Peoples' Celebration.

Massachusetts
Massachusetts
loading...

Featuring:
Annawon Weeden, MC
Performances by: Eastern Sons Drum, Wampanoag Nation Dancers & Singers, Indigenous Artisans, and Local Food Trucks

Admission is FREE!
This is going to be a family-friendly event.

WUPE logo
Get our free mobile app

LOOK: The oldest cities in America

Though the United States doesn’t have as long of a history as some Old World countries, it still has plenty of historical charm. Stacker brings you a list of the 50 oldest cities in America.

The 100 Best Places to Live on the East Coast

READ ON: See the States Where People Live the Longest

Stacker used data from the 2020 County Health Rankings to rank every state's average life expectancy from lowest to highest. The 2020 County Health Rankings values were calculated using mortality counts from the 2016-2018 National Center for Health Statistics. The U.S. Census 2019 American Community Survey and America's Health Rankings Senior Report 2019 data were also used to provide demographics on the senior population of each state and the state's rank on senior health care, respectively.

Read on to learn the average life expectancy in each state.

More From WUPE