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Heritage and identity

Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples’ Day: which is it?

2 min read Answered by the Neighbor Radio team Neighbor review in progress Updated

Both fall on the second Monday in October. Columbus Day is the federal holiday. Indigenous Peoples’ Day honors the people who were here first, and many states and cities mark it instead, or as well. Many Italian Americans hold Columbus Day dear. Many Native people find it painful. Both of those things can be true at once.

1 · MindWhat people believe, and how they know

Columbus Day became a national holiday in 1937, and a Monday holiday in 1971. It grew partly out of Italian American pride. In 1891, eleven Italian immigrants were lynched in New Orleans. The next year, President Benjamin Harrison called for a national celebration of Columbus, and Italian Americans held onto the day as a sign that they belonged.

Indigenous Peoples’ Day grew out of the 500th anniversary of Columbus’s voyage. South Dakota began a Native American Day in 1990, and Berkeley, California, held the first Indigenous Peoples’ Day in 1992. Columbus’s own records describe enslaving Taíno people in the Caribbean, which is why many Native people see the day differently.

Today it depends on where you live. More than a dozen states recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day or a similar day honoring Native Americans, and many cities do too. President Biden issued the first presidential proclamation for it in 2021. In 2025, the White House proclaimed Columbus Day only.

What each tradition or community says

Many Italian Americans

Columbus Day was a way of saying “we are Americans too” at a time when Italians faced real hatred. Losing it can feel like losing that history.

Many Native Americans

Columbus’s arrival began centuries of disease, slavery and land loss. Indigenous Peoples’ Day honors the people who survived it and are still here.

Some towns and families

Mark both: honor Italian American heritage and Native nations on the same day, or move one to its own date.

2 · HeartWhat it feels like

For some neighbors, this Monday is about a grandfather who came through Ellis Island. For others, it’s about a grandmother who was punished for speaking her language at boarding school.

Neither one is asking you to hate the other. Most people just want their family’s story told honestly.

The Monday off is the same either way. What changes is who we think about while we have it.Neighbor Radio

3 · HandsHow to be a good neighbor

Find out whose land your town sits on. Native Land Digital has a free map. Ask an Italian American neighbor what the day meant to their family, and ask a Native neighbor the same question. If your town holds an event for either one, go and listen.

This weekLook up the Native nation whose land you live on. Learn one thing about them that isn’t from a history textbook.

TimelineWhere this fits

About 2000 BC: Abraham answers God's callAbout 1500 BC: The Rig VedaAbout 1450 BC: The Exodus and the Torah at SinaiAbout 500 BC: The Buddha teachesAbout 400 BC to AD 200: The Bhagavad GitaAbout 250 BC: Emperor AshokaAbout 6 BC: Jesus is bornAbout AD 30: Jesus' death and resurrectionAD 610: The Qur'an's revelation beginsAD 622: The Hijra1469: Guru Nanak is born1699: The Khalsa is founded1787: No religious test for office1791: The First Amendment1820: The First VisionApril 6, 1830: The Church is organized1965: Immigration and Nationality Act1978: American Indian Religious Freedom Act2023–24: 29 percent unaffiliated More than 15,000 years ago: Native peoples in North America

See every faith on one timeline →

Four questions to take with you

From Jesus' story of the Good Samaritan, about the stranger who stopped to help. We call it the Samaritan Test.

  1. Did they see? Or look right past?
  2. Did they stop? Even when it was inconvenient?
  3. Did it cost them? Time, money, comfort, reputation?
  4. Did they treat the person like a person? Not like a label?

Try it on: when someone’s holiday makes you uncomfortable, do you ask why it matters to them?

Quick questions

Is Columbus Day still a federal holiday?

Yes. Indigenous Peoples’ Day is recognized by many states and cities, but it isn’t a federal holiday under U.S. law.

Is it rude to say “Happy Columbus Day”?

Not to someone who celebrates it. If you’re not sure, “Enjoy the long weekend” works for everyone.

Do Native people want an apology?

Most want to be seen as living nations, not as history. Learning the real story is a good start.

Sources and research
  1. Encyclopaedia Britannica: Columbus Day
  2. Wikipedia: Indigenous Peoples' Day (United States)
  3. National Museum of the American Indian
  4. Native Land Digital: map of Indigenous territories
How this answer was made

Written in plain words by the Neighbor Radio team. Each faith's and community's section is checked by someone from that faith or community. Until then, this page says so. Spot something wrong? Tell us. We read every note and fix mistakes.

Where to go next

Free tools that go with this

  • Free Constitution (opens in a new tab)→ Read

    The founding documents in full, searchable and in plain order. The rules every American neighbor shares.

    First step: Read the First Amendment. It’s 45 words.