If you grew up in the United States anytime before the mid-2000s, October meant one thing: paper niñas, pintas, and santa marias taped to classroom windows. You probably had the day off. Your mail didn't come. It was just a fact of life. But lately, you might have noticed your digital calendar looks a little different. Or maybe your local school board had a heated debate that ended with a name change. Honestly, if you're confused about what happened to Columbus Day, you aren't alone. The holiday hasn't exactly been cancelled by some central authority, but it is undergoing a massive, decentralized identity crisis.
It's weird.
One year it's there, and the next, your city is celebrating Indigenous Peoples' Day instead. This wasn't a sudden flip of a switch. It’s been a slow burn—a mix of grassroots activism, shifting historical perspectives, and a whole lot of corporate HR departments trying to stay ahead of the curve.
The Shifting Tide of October 12
To understand what happened to Columbus Day, we have to look at the math. As of 2024 and heading into 2026, over a dozen states and more than 130 cities have officially ditched the name. We're talking about places like Maine, New Mexico, and Vermont. Even big hubs like Phoenix and Denver—the city where the first official state Columbus Day was actually celebrated back in 1907—have pivoted.
Why?
The traditional narrative of Christopher Columbus "discovering" a New World has run headfirst into the reality of what his arrival actually meant for the people already living here. Historians like David Stannard, author of American Holocaust, have meticulously documented the immediate devastation. We aren't just talking about a "clash of cultures." We are talking about the Taino people of the Caribbean. Within decades of 1492, their population plummeted due to enslavement, warfare, and European diseases. When you start looking at the primary sources—Columbus’s own journals—it’s hard to ignore the parts where he discusses the potential for the local population to be "good servants."
People started reading those journals. That’s basically the spark that started the fire.
The Italian-American Connection
But wait. There’s a reason the holiday existed in the first place, and it wasn't just about a guy in a boat. For many Italian-Americans, the holiday was a hard-won victory against a backdrop of intense discrimination.
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Back in the late 1800s, Italian immigrants were treated horribly in the U.S. They were often victims of lynchings—the largest mass lynching in American history actually took place in New Orleans in 1891, and the victims were 11 Italian men. President Benjamin Harrison actually established the first one-time national celebration of Columbus Day in 1892 as a direct response to that violence, hoping to soothe diplomatic tensions with Italy.
For the Italian community, Columbus became a shield. He was a symbol that said, "We were here at the beginning. We are part of the American story."
This is why the debate gets so heated. On one side, you have Indigenous groups pointing to the literal genocide of their ancestors. On the other, you have Italian-American organizations like the Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America (OSDIA) who feel like their cultural heritage is being erased. It’s a messy, emotional tug-of-war.
How the Federal Government Plays Ball
Technically, Columbus Day is still a federal holiday. It has been since 1937 when FDR signed it into law. In 2021, President Biden became the first president to issue a formal proclamation for Indigenous Peoples' Day alongside the Columbus Day proclamation.
He didn't replace it. He just... added to it.
This created a weird legal limbo. Federal employees still get the day off under the name Columbus Day, but local governments are free to call it whatever they want. It’s a classic American compromise that satisfies almost nobody.
The Rise of Indigenous Peoples' Day
The alternative didn't just pop out of nowhere. The idea for Indigenous Peoples' Day actually started at a United Nations conference in 1977. But it didn't really gain traction in the U.S. until 1990 in South Dakota. They were the first to make the jump, calling it "Native American Day."
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Berkeley, California, followed suit in 1992, specifically to protest the 500th anniversary of Columbus's voyage.
Since then, the momentum has been a literal landslide.
- South Dakota (1990): The pioneer of the movement.
- Hawaii: They’ve celebrated "Discoverers' Day" for a long time, acknowledging Polynesian navigators instead.
- Alaska: Switched in 2015.
- Oregon: Made the change official recently, focusing on the state's 9 federally recognized tribes.
It's not just about changing a name on a calendar. For many, it’s about visibility. When you spend centuries being treated as a footnote in your own land, having a day that acknowledges your survival—not just your "discovery"—is a huge deal.
What Happened to the Statues?
If you want to see the physical manifestation of what happened to Columbus Day, look at the empty pedestals in city parks. During the racial justice protests of 2020, Christopher Columbus statues became a primary target. In Richmond, Virginia, a statue was torn down, set on fire, and tossed into a lake. In Boston, one was decapitated.
Local governments started removing them proactively to avoid the chaos.
Critics call this "erasing history." Proponents call it "correcting the record." They argue that statues are for honoring heroes, and if a figure no longer represents the values of a community, the statue shouldn't be in a public square. You can still find Columbus in a textbook, they say, he just doesn't need a monument.
Is Columbus Day Officially Dead?
Not quite.
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If you go to New York City, the Columbus Day Parade is still a massive, televised event. It’s a point of pride. Thousands of people line Fifth Avenue to celebrate Italian culture, food, and music. In states like Florida or parts of the Midwest, the holiday remains firmly entrenched.
What we're seeing is a regionalization of the American calendar. Your experience of the second Monday in October now depends entirely on your zip code.
The Corporate Impact
Interestingly, the private sector is moving faster than the government. Companies like Google, Starbucks, and various tech giants have shifted their internal calendars to reflect Indigenous Peoples' Day. Why? It's better for branding. It aligns with modern Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) goals. It avoids the "Twitter firestorm" that comes with doubling down on a controversial historical figure.
Most businesses honestly just want to stay out of the culture war, and "Indigenous Peoples' Day" is currently the safer bet for HR departments across the country.
Making Sense of the Change
So, what happened to Columbus Day? It evolved.
We are living through a period of deep re-evaluation. It’s uncomfortable for a lot of people. Change usually is. For some, it feels like an attack on their childhood and their heritage. For others, it feels like a long-overdue acknowledgment of the truth.
The reality is that history isn't static. The way we tell stories about our past changes as we learn more and as our society's values shift. Columbus hasn't been "deleted" from history; he's just being moved from the pedestal to the microscope.
How to Navigate the Day Now
If you are looking for ways to handle the holiday in its current form, consider these specific actions:
- Check your local ordinances: Don't assume you have the day off or that parking meters are free. Many cities have de-certified the holiday entirely.
- Support Italian Culture Elsewhere: If you want to celebrate Italian-American heritage, look for local festivals or support Italian-owned businesses without tying it to the 1492 voyage.
- Acknowledge the Land: Use the day to learn about the specific tribes that lived (and still live) in your area. Tools like Native-Land.ca are great for this.
- Read Primary Sources: Instead of taking a politician's word for it, read the Journal of the First Voyage. See what the man actually wrote. It’s eye-opening.
- Visit a Museum: Many natural history museums have updated their exhibits to provide a more balanced view of the "Age of Discovery."
Ultimately, the transformation of Columbus Day is a reflection of a country trying to figure out its own identity. It’s a messy process, full of contradictions and loud opinions. But it’s also a sign that we’re finally willing to have the hard conversations about how we got here.