We've Got The County Covered
We've Got The County Covered
Although Columbus Day was made official by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1937 and the Federal Government will close on October 14 for the 82nd commemoration of that holiday, some cities in the United States will mark the day in a different way. One of those cities is Harlem, Montana.
At its regularly scheduled meeting held on the evening of Monday, September 9, the Harlem City Council voted on a resolution to change the second Monday of October from Columbus Day to Indigenous People’s Day. Although the minutes of that meeting will not be made official until after the Council’s approval during their October meeting, by a vote of 3 for, 1 against, the Harlem City Council voted to focus on the original inhabitants of the land to which Christopher Columbus sailed rather than to focus on the man whose arrival—and subsequent voyages over the next twelve years—began an era of exploration and colonization of North and South America.
When asked to recount the key arguments in favor and in dissent of the motion, Harlem Mayor, Ralph Schneider said, “That’s something we try to avoid. We keep a record of motions but not of discussion because that can be called hearsay.”
According to unofficial minutes to the meeting submitted by Becky Schroeder, Harlem City Clerk-Treasurer, Doug Stuart addressed the Mayor and the Council on Agenda Item I, the Columbus Day Name Change during a Public Forum comment period. Stuart informed the room that he is an enrolled member of a federally recognized tribe and a member of the Harlem community. He expressed his disapproval of changing the federal holiday’s name, stating it was unnecessary and that he was uncomfortable with it.
Councilwoman Eva English thanked Stuart for his comments. After a brief discussion of the pros and cons of changing the name of Columbus Day, Stuart reinforced his disapproval of the change. English made a motion to change the name of Columbus Day to Indigenous People’s Day, and the motion passed, 3-1.
Harlem joins a number of cities across the country who have taken a stand for social justice. Columbus Day may be a national holiday in the United States, but citing inhumane actions taken by the European powers who came to the Americas, five states—Alaska, Hawaii, Minnesota, South Dakota, and Vermont—have replaced the holiday with Native American’s Day or Indigenous People’s Day. Indigenous People’s Day was first adopted by the Berkeley, California, City Council on October 22, 1991. Other major cities that have joined Berkeley include Phoenix, Minneapolis, Seattle, Portland, Denver, and Albuquerque.
In Montana, the Helena City Commission passed a resolution in June 2019 to change the name of Columbus Day to Indigenous People’s Day. However, earlier in the 2019 regular legislative session, House Democrat Shane Morigeau from Missoula sponsored House Bill 219, which would have established Indigenous People’s Day in Montana. Although HB 219 passed the House by a 62-35 margin in February, it died on April 25, 2019 in Standing Committee in the State Senate. The measure was defeated 5-3 by the Senate Administration Committee, which cited concerns about the fiscal responsibility such a bill would have on Montana taxpayers.
“It’s disappointing that, once again, the opportunity to celebrate the rich cultures of all Montanans has been pushed to the sidelines,” Morigeau stated this past spring.
Harlem’s abandonment of Columbus Day follows an ongoing national conversation about the celebration of historical figures with controversial pasts. Christopher Columbus may have sailed the ocean blue in 1492, but the colonization of the Americas that followed, transforming the world forever, is a history that remains contentious still today.
