President Biden issued a proclamation this week to mark Indigenous Peoples’ Day — the first time a US president had commemorated the holiday.
“On Indigenous Peoples’ Day, our Nation celebrates the invaluable contributions and resilience of Indigenous peoples, recognizes their inherent sovereignty, and commits to honoring the Federal Government’s trust and treaty obligations to Tribal Nations,” Biden wrote in the proclamation made Friday. “Today, we recognize Indigenous peoples’ resilience and strength as well as the immeasurable positive impact that they have made on every aspect of American society.”
The holiday has long been a pet project of activists who accuse Christopher Columbus of genocide against indigenous American populations and are vehemently opposed to his namesake holiday.
Biden also marked Columbus Day on Friday, but — in an unusual move — included a lengthy carve out for his detractors in his statement.
President Joe Biden and Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland participate in a signing ceremony to restore and protect three national monuments, on October 8, 2021. Pacific Coast News / Shawn Thew – Pool via CNP“Today, we also acknowledge the painful history of wrongs and atrocities that many European explorers inflicted on Tribal Nations and Indigenous communities,” Biden said. “For Native Americans, western exploration ushered in a wave of devastation: violence perpetrated against Native communities, displacement and theft of Tribal homelands, the introduction and spread of disease, and more.”
