I grew up knowing today’s holiday as Columbus Day. Christopher Columbus received a pretty positive review throughout most of my early education. I am grateful that my kids are now learning the reality of his impact.
Change is hard, and we are right to protect our traditions and values. When I first heard today’s holiday referred to as Indigenous Peoples’ Day, my initial reaction was one of being inconvenienced. Why did I have to change? What was wrong with the way I grew up? It is easy to fall into this trap of defensiveness when we are asked to change or to examine how our previous view of the world may have been tainted.
If you find yourself at a similar crossroads, cast your gaze inward, and reflect on what you value. Should we celebrate a conqueror who perpetuated genocide and cultural destruction for personal gain, or honor the people who were here first and faced his invasion? A simple heuristic I like to use is to examine if there is an asymmetric tradeoff for my efforts. If a little adjustment on my part will result in someone else feeling more included and valued, it is easy to justify. Small acts of inclusion can have an impact far beyond the effort they take.