Monday, October 9 commemorates Indigenous Peoples’ Day, which is celebrated each year on the second Monday in October. This day honors and celebrates the histories, cultures, and contributions of Native American people in the United States. It is also a time to acknowledge and reflect upon the grave mistreatment of Indigenous people throughout U.S. history.
European contact with the Americas resulted in devastating loss of life, disruption of tradition, and widespread loss of lands for indigenous Americans. The United States government continued these practices of removing native peoples from their tribal lands and engaging in violent conflict with them.
Indigenous Peoples’ Day offers us an opportunity to reflect on native Americans’ resilience in the face of this devastation as well as their vibrant cultures and contributions to American society. From a lasting connection to the land and environment to art, music, and traditions that enrich our culture, indigenous communities have shaped and continue to shape the world in countless meaningful ways. In last year’s Indigenous Peoples’ Day proclamation, President Joe Biden said, “Native peoples challenge us to confront our past and do better, and their contributions to scholarship, law, the arts, public service, and more continue to guide us forward.”
Fenway Health supports the move to honor Indigenous peoples from the Americas by marking the second Monday of October each year as Indigenous Peoples Day instead of Columbus Day. In 2020, we eliminated Columbus Day as an organizational holiday, replacing it instead with a floating holiday individual staff can use for a religious or cultural observance/occasion or other purpose of their choosing.
Fenway’s mission advocates for and delivers innovative, equitable, accessible health care, supportive services, and transformative research and education. It also centers LGBTQIA+ people, BIPOC individuals, and other underserved communities to enable our local, national, and global neighbors to flourish.
There are many ways to honor Indigenous Peoples Day in the Boston area and across Massachusetts this year. Indigenous Peoples Day MA is a coalition of organizations and individuals who work to get Indigenous Peoples’ Day legislation passed in Massachusetts and to implement celebrations. You can learn more about how to support those efforts on their website. A list of Boston area events is posted here and a Google list of events across the state can be found here.
To learn more about the histories of Native people in Massachusetts, visit the websites of United American Indians of New England (UAINE), Massachusetts Center for Native American Awareness, North American Indian Center of Boston (NAICOB), and Cultural Survival. Or check out the Pilgrim Monument and Provincetown Museum’s exhibit, “Our Story: The Complicated Relationship of the Indigenous Wampanoag and the Mayflower Pilgrims.”