Boston Mayor Kim Janey Signs Executive Order To to Observe Indigenous Peoples Day Instead of Columbus Day

“As mayor of Boston, I hereby declare the second Monday of each October Indigenous Peoples Day in the city of Boston,” she said in a prepared speech. “Observing Indigenous Peoples Day is about replacing the colonial myths passed down from generation to generation with the true history of the land upon which our nation was founded.”

According to Boston CBS Local Chalinaru Dones, an Indigenous People’s Day supporter said, “The atrocities that person committed was horrendous – to see this change is memorable. It means the world to me; this is amazing – just the thought that I am alive to see this happen is huge in its own.”

Despite this being a memorable and historical change, the acting mayor’s decision has led to some pushback from folks arguing that the mayor chose to take action without the necessary input from all sides.

“Without any input from anyone or even my organization… it just seems like a lack of due process,” Diane Modica, of the Sons and Daughters of Italy in America, expressed.

“To take away from a culture and giving it to another culture is totally wrong. It’s very hurtful for an acting city mayor to do this without the proper procedures. She didn’t even consult with any of the Italian organizations,” Louis Strazzullo, the North End Columbus Day Parade chairman, explained.

However, Mayor Janey feels as if her decision was in the community’s best interest and mentioned that she decided on the holiday after discussing it with relevant parties. 

“I don’t need to hold a public hearing to make an executive order. We’ve had lots of conversations internally with the indigenous community. I’ve made calls to the North End community specifically,” she said. “We can lift up Indigenous Peoples, and we can respect Italian Americans,” the acting mayor added.

Janey said that she hasn’t ruled out the possibility of opening up the conversation with the Italian American community.