Somersworth moves toward adopting Indigenous Peoples Day
SOMERSWORTH The Hilltop City’s School Board recently voted to change Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples’ Day on local school calendars.
School Board member Coty Donohue, who spearheaded the change, said “it’s about time” the Somersworth School District reframe and rethink how it celebrates a dark chapter in the continent’s history.
“I support the name of Indigenous Peoples’ Day because that does recognize the people that were before us,” Donohue said during a board meeting last week. “One of things we believe according to (the district’s) mission statement is that the education of today shapes the world or the future of tomorrow, and I think reframing this holiday in the light of acknowledging and honoring Indigenous people allows for our future generations to be raised into and learn about the truths of our history, from early on.”