Christopher Columbus, a Spanish colonizer with roots in Italy, is taught to us in school to be the man who "discovered" the Americas. As Indigenous people, we know this is not true. Columbus's legacy in the Caribbean, where he landed, is a bloody one. He kidnapped and enslaves more than a thousand Indigenous people in Hispaniola, beginning the genocide of Native peoples which lasts to this day. He forced Indigenous people to collect gold for him and the Spanish empire, working in mines or being executed if they refused. In fact, Columbus's crimes were so severe, that he was denounced by the Spanish even during his life, dying penniless and shunned. Even if there hadn't been Indigenous peoples in the Americas, Columbus wouldn't have "discovered" it -- he never even stepped foot into what is now the United States. 56 years after Columbus's voyage, Hispaniola's Indigenous population had decreased from 300,000 to 500. 

Celebrating Columbus Day is the celebration of murder. It is not a celebration of "Italian pride" as many claim it - Columbus spent his whole life in Spain and in service of the Spanish, and in fact, barely spoke his native Genoese Italian dialect. Numerous states throughout the US have already moved to recognize Indigenous Peoples Day every second Monday in October rather than Columbus Day. These include Alaska, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, New Mexico, Oregon, South Dakota, Vermont, Wisconsin, Hawaii, the District of Columbia, and North Carolina. 

With both the town of Chapel Hill and the state of North Carolina itself recognizing the second Monday of October as Indigenous Peoples' Day, it begs the question, why a supposedly "progressive" beacon of education would continue to designate Columbus Day in both official and unofficial contexts. North Carolina is today the American state with the largest Indigenous population east of the Mississippi River. Native people from North Carolina and beyond have contributed infinitely to our campus community, only to face a yearly rejection of our very existence and peoplehood, celebrating Native genocide on our own land. Last year, our petition garnered the support of over 1,000 UNC students, signing a letter to the administration. This year, we aim to expand our support even more, sending a clear message to our chancellor, our board of governors, and our University community: Recognize Indigenous Peoples' Day.