Biden Issues Presidential Proclamation of Indigenous Peoples’ Day

Photo by Susan Walsh | The Associated Press

On Friday October 8th, 2021 President Joe Biden became the first United States President to officially mark October 11th as Indigenous People’s Day. Though they have been campaigning for a long time for recognition of the Indigenous peoples, this signing by Biden came unexpectedly.

“This was completely unexpected. Even though we’ve been talking about it and wanting it for so long,” said Hillary Kempenich of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa.

“I’m kind of overwhelmed with joy.”

“For generations, Federal policies systematically sought to assimilate and displace Native people and eradicate Native cultures,” Biden wrote. “Today, we recognize Indigenous peoples’ resilience and strength as well as the immeasurable positive impact that they have made on every aspect of American society.”

Columbus sailed to the Americas with three Italian ships and crew members. Since then, the Indigenous people have been decimated by European explorers, settlers, and different governments. It’s been a long history of violence and it hasn’t stopped.

“Today, we also acknowledge the painful history of wrongs and atrocities that many European explorers inflicted on Tribal Nations and Indigenous communities,” Biden wrote. “It is a measure of our greatness as a Nation that we do not seek to bury these shameful episodes of our past — that we face them honestly, we bring them to the light, and we do all we can to address them.”

This is a very small step in a direction that we hope can help to start the healing from all the atrocities.