Since around 1991, many people, including some states, having chosen to celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day on the 2nd Monday of October, also known as Columbus Day. The very fact that I’m worried about how some people will respond to me posting about this day shows just how far we still have to go in our celebration of and respect for diversity.
I am so thankful to live in the country that I do. I praise God that in His Sovereignty, he allowed a crew of people, led by Christopher Columbus, to stumble upon our continent, which eventually led to my ancestors making a home here in the states. I wouldn’t be here were it not for Columbus and his men.
However, I also think we need to remember the fact that people lived here and called this place home long before Columbus stepped foot on it.
It’s okay for us to celebrate this land as our home while also acknowledging the atrocities that took place toward the Native American’s, indigenous people, who already lived here.
We need more of a both-and theology these days.
We can be both thankful, grateful, and proud of our country while also being mindful of and honest about the horrors of how we got here.
We can say Happy Columbus Day and Happy Indigenous Peoples’ Day and celebrate both without disrespecting someone for using either.
We don’t have to re-write history; we need to be honest about it, learn from it, and commit ourselves not to repeat it.
I’m thankful Columbus came. I’m horrified by what soon followed.
I celebrate the diversity and beauty of our Native American brothers and sisters while also standing proudly as a citizen of this country.
I don’t stand behind what our country has always done, but I do stand with our country to improve who we are as human beings.
So, Happy Columbus Day!
And Happy Indigenous Peoples’ Day!