Originally published on May 18, 2021 5:45 pm
The state of Oregon will recognize the second Monday in October as Indigenous Peoples’ Day in a new bill passed this week by the Oregon Legislature.
Beginning with Monday, Oct. 12, Oregon will recognize that Christopher Columbus’s “discovery” of the Americas is historically inaccurate and unworthy of celebration due to his voyage opening the door to “heinous crimes against humanity.”
HB 2526 passed the Oregon Senate on Tuesday with a vote of 22-7. It was approved by a 50-5 vote of the House late last month.
The bill which was brought forth by the legislature’s only Indigenous lawmakers, Rep. Tawna Sanchez, D-Portland, and Rep. Teresa Alonso-Leon, D-Woodburn, aims to set the record straight on the historical representation of Columbus and join 10 other states in recognizing the significant contributions that Native Americans have made to the U.S., and more specifically the contributions of Oregon’s nine federally recognized tribes to the culture of this state.