The largest city in Maine will no longer celebrate Columbus Day, joining a growing list of places across the country that have replaced the municipal holiday with a day to recognize indigenous people.
The Portland City Council voted unanimously on Monday to make the switch, officially approving a resolution to recognize the second Monday in October as Indigenous Peoples’ Day. The vote followed nearly an hour-long hearing, during which a former president of the Italian American Heritage Center in Portland said the switch is a “slap in the face” to local Italians, the Portland Press Herald reported.
Although one man said the holiday should focus on celebrating America as a nation of immigrants — many argued that the day should not commemorate Columbus, because he committed many atrocities, including genocide, after arriving in the New World.
“You can’t ask us to gloss over that history just so people can have a day off,” said Maulian Dana Smith, a member of the Penobscot Nation.
Jenn Sorkin, of Portland, was even more direct, calling Columbus a “murderer” and a “rapist.”
“He’s an enslaver,” Sorkin said. “If he were alive today there is no doubt he would be on death row. It’s absolute nonsense.”
Columbus Day, which was first recognized as a federal holiday in 1937, will remain a federal holiday in Portland, the Press Herald reports.
With the move, Portland becomes the latest municipality in Maine to replace Columbus Day, joining the towns of Belfast, Bangor, Brunswick and Orono. Indigenous Peoples’ Day has also been recognized in other places throughout New England, including Durham — which on Monday became the first New Hampshire town to establish the holiday, but will still recognize Christopher Columbus, WMUR reports.
“Not only is it appropriate to our local history, but also to recognize and value indigenous people everywhere,” Durham Town Administrator Todd Selig said. “The designation will encourage residents to learn more about the legacy of Christopher Columbus and the ‘Doctrine of Discovery,’ while also recognizing the devastating effects of colonialism on indigenous peoples.”
Los Angeles last month became the largest city nationwide to remove Columbus Day as an official city holiday after a 14-1 vote by the Los Angeles City Council. The switch has also been made in states like Alaska and Vermont, as well as in cities like Seattle, Albuquerque, San Francisco and Denver.