Pittsburgh to celebrate Indigenous Peoples' Day starting next year

Beginning next year, the second Monday in October will be recognized as Indigenous Peoples’ Day in the city of Pittsburgh.

This comes despite concerns from some council members that the day is also known as Columbus Day in honor of Christopher Columbus, who has become a controversial figure. Some people view him as a successful navigator and explorer, and others criticize his brutal treatment of the indigenous people he encountered in the New World.

Twenty states nationwide — not including Pennsylvania — have devoted the day to indigenous people, said Councilwoman Barb Warwick, D-Greenfield, who sponsored the bill to formally recognize the holiday in Pittsburgh.

“I think it sort of goes without saying that, as a nation, we recognize the atrocities committed against our indigenous communities,” Warwick said.

She said celebrating indigenous people on a day that typically honors Columbus helps to provide a more balanced portrayal of America’s history, which has included prolonged mistreatment of indigenous people beginning with Columbus discovering the Americas.

Councilman Anthony Coghill, D-Beechview, said he agrees that indigenous people should be honored, but pushed back on designating a second holiday on top of Columbus Day. Coghill, who has Italian heritage, said there’s a “perception” that Indigenous Peoples’ Day would “replace Columbus.”

“I’m not ready to vote for something that replaces (Columbus Day),” he said. “It’s very emotionally charged.”

Council President Theresa Kail-Smith, D-West End, similarly said she supports the idea of a day honoring indigenous communities, but said she felt the city was going about it wrong. She also voiced concerns about the decision to have Indigenous Peoples’ Day on Columbus Day, and said it’s unfair to hold Columbus to “today’s standards.”

Kail-Smith, Coghill and Councilman Bruce Kraus, D-South Side, voted against the measure Tuesday. All other council members supported it, as it passed by a 6-3 vote.

Kraus said he was voting against the bill after a woman representing indigenous people used an expletive in council chambers at the start of Tuesday’s meeting.

This comes as Pittsburgh also continues to grapple with the fate of a statue of Columbus that sits in Schenley Park. The statue, which is partially covered, is at the heart of a legal battle that started after former Mayor Bill Peduto sought to remove the artwork.

Related:

• Proposal would designate 2nd Monday of every October as Indigenous Peoples' Day in Pittsburgh

• Fate of Schenley Park Columbus statue unknown as legal case continues

• Knights of Columbus groups serve local communities despite controversial namesake