Belmont Indigenous Peoples Day Petition
Belmont Indigenous Peoples Day Petition
Why this petition matters
To the Belmont Select Board:
Christopher Columbus is accredited with the discovery of America, yet he never stepped foot upon the current continental US. His treatment of the Native Peoples is unspeakable. He forced them into slavery for the benefit of himself. He shipped thousands of Tainos back to Spain to be sold into slavery. To prevent an uprising, he sent dismembered bodies of Tainos in a parade through the streets of the so-called “New World”. His actions led to the mass genocide of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas. This is only scratching the surface of what he did to the native peoples in the Americas. We, as citizens of Belmont Massachusetts, do not feel comfortable celebrating a man with such a history of brutality.
Instead, we would like to follow the example set by our neighbors in Cambridge four years ago, and officially change the name of “Columbus Day” to “Indigenous Peoples Day”. This way, instead of celebrating 'the violent history of the colonization in the Western Hemisphere,' we can inclusively celebrate the true discoverers of the land we stand upon, and honor the Native American peoples.
By signing this petition, you are in support of changing Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day in Belmont.
Alex Fick
Lora Ovcharova
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Petition Closed
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Decision Makers
- Roy EpsteinSelect Board Chair
- Thomas CaputoSelect Board Vice Chair
- Adam DashSelect Board Member