Indigenous Peoples’ Day
In many American public schools, elementary students learn the names of Christopher Columbus’s ships without learning the names of the people who inhabited North America long before the Italian explorer’s trio of vessels — the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa María — ever reached its shores.
As of October 2020, only 14 U.S. states (and the District of Columbia), on top of more than 130 cities, observe this day — Indigenous Peoples’ Day — instead of or in addition to Columbus Day.
These places are part of an ever-expanding map dedicated to ensuring that a more accurate history of the United States is taught in schools and public spaces. The teaching of Native American history in U.S. public schools typically halts before 1900. It’s our unending responsibility to continue to be informed and educated by the lived experiences of others — a mission that, at FiscalNote, starts inside and works its way out.
Our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) intends to empower team members to create and build an environment in which they’re invited to bring their “whole selves” to work; to feel empowered and valued; and, to flourish professionally.
We strive to accomplish all of this through operationalizing equity; cultivating community, learning, and leadership.
But it’s not an entirely insular process. It can’t be. We must work to amplify and advocate for the muffled voices and stories of survival everywhere.
Personally, Indigenous Peoples’ Day surfaces childhood memories of the rare occasions when my father visited. He idolized elements of nature and was fascinated by indigenous cultures and artifacts. He made many attempts to introduce me to the things that most interested him. As a youngster, I fully admit that I was generally dismissive of his efforts — especially those with a ceremonial theme that he wanted to enact in the front yard while neighbors cast curious glances. These teachings didn’t align with what I learned in school. Even in many educational institutions today there are harsh truths surrounding the seldom-discussed events that have impacted Native Americans. It’s not lost on me that my own daughter is away at college and penning assignments about why critical race theory has a place in modern curriculums.
I recently unpacked boxes from my move to the Washington, D.C., area and rediscovered a stone-carved statue of a Native American woman and child that my father gave me during one of those visits. When I received it as a 12-year-old, my point of reference was a romanticized story of Pocahontas.
Today, for me, this statue represents a reality — and countless tragedies — often glossed over. Yet, it’s a reality that must be recognized and understood as a part of history that has impacted so many and so much.
There’s boundless opportunity for us to learn from each other if we pause to consider the beliefs and intentions that drive our everyday actions and ways of living.
On this Indigenous Peoples’ Day, we want to connect you with resources with which you can learn more and help us continue to expand upon our cornerstones of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. We can and should appreciate the neverending lesson that is life — and all of the unexpected ways its teachings present themselves.
IPD Resources & Learning Opportunities
Resources
- Illuminative Toolkit
- First Americans Museum
- National Museum of the American Indian | Native Knowledge 360°
- Unlearning Columbus Day Myths: Celebrating Indigenous Peoples’ Day
- Ditch Columbus Day? Some Places Already Have. (Heard on the Hill)
- This Culture, Once Believed Extinct, is Now Flourishing
Podcasts
Writers + Poets
- 14 Contemporary Native American Writers to Get Excited About
- Native American Heritage Month
- Four Contemporary Native American Poets to Read Today
