We the undersigned ask our local Town and County government in Taos, New Mexico, as well as State and Federal governments, to establish the 2nd Monday of October as Indigenous Peoples Day, in place of celebrating the brutally violent acts of Columbus and his expedition. We realize that as regards the Town of Taos, Columbus is not officially celebrated, but still feel that it needs the extra step of renaming, reframing and reclaiming the day as something we can inclusively celebrate together as a community, rather than the collective cringe that the day represents now.
Why is this important?
This should properly be happening at a Federal level, but for now the impetus seems to be coming from cities. Seattle, Albuquerque, Santa Fe and others have declared Indigenous Peoples Day on the 2nd Monday of October. We believe that Taos should join them in doing so, at the Town and County levels, and continue advocating for this to happen on the State and National levels.
