Indigenous Peoples' Day Endorsement — Community Organized for Solidarity

COS Indigenous Peoples’ Day Endorsement

The members of Community Organized for Solidarity support the petition addressed to Select Board Chair Roy Epstein to officially change the name from “Columbus Day” to “Indigenous Peoples’ Day” in the town of Belmont.

On January 29th, 2021, members of COS discussed the following reasons why we adamantly support this change:

Celebrating Columbus Day contributes to the miseducation of the Belmont community because it ignores the genocide and enslavement of Native people at the hands of white colonizers like Christopher Columbus
Celebrating Indigenous Peoples’ Day encourages the Belmont community to understand and appreciate the cultures of Indigenous peoples and their contributions to the history of our region and our country
As antiracist activists in Belmont and in Greater Boston, it is our firmly held belief that Columbus Day celebrates the violent history of colonialism in Massachusetts and the Americas. When Christopher Columbus first landed in Jamaica, he enslaved thousands of Tainos and helped to initiate the Triangle Trade which led to the enslavement and death of millions of African and African-American people for generations. His treatment of Tainos established the legacy of enslavement and genocide that lasted for centuries.
The continued celebration of Columbus Day prevents Belmont from moving towards our goal of becoming an antiracist community that actively rejects white supremacist ideation

COS emphatically endorses the petition to change the name from “Columbus Day” to “Indigenous Peoples’ Day” in Belmont.

Community Organized for Solidarity commits to listening to and collaborating with Indigenous people in order to ensure that they are celebrated in our community, not just on Indigenous Peoples’ Day but throughout the year. We commit to strengthening our relationship with United American Indians of New England and the North American Indian Center of Boston as our regional partners in an effort to increase awareness and appreciation of Indigenous peoples and their history of resilience.