Indigenous Peoples Day celebrates Indigenous resilience and perseverance

Scott Stevens is Director of the Native American and Native Studies Program and Associate Professor in the College of Arts and Sciences at Syracuse University. You are welcome to quote his comments directly on Indigenous Peoples Day, formerly celebrated as Columbus Day, October 11. He is also available for interviews via Zoom.

For more information or to schedule an interview with Stevens, please contact Daryl Lovell, Media Relations Manager, by email at [email protected] or by phone at 315.380.0206.

Professor Stevens says:

“I am encouraged to see that Indigenous Peoples Day continues to grow and gain traction in communities across the United States. Social justice issues have received increased attention following the murders of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and others over the past two years. Perhaps a portion of the general population is finally also more willing to recognize the legacy of settler colonialism that began with the European invasion of the Americas in 1492. Indigenous peoples have always been aware of this legacy, we live it every day, and we have long advocated for mainstream society to recognize the cataclysmic effects it has had on Indigenous peoples here and throughout the Western Hemisphere.

“While European colonization of the Americas meant new opportunities and a better life for many European settlers, it meant devastating pandemics, genocide and dispossession for millions of Indigenous people, as well as the advent of the Atlantic slave trade. . All Americans should reflect on this complex reality. But Indigenous Peoples Day is not just a day of reflection, but a day meant to attract attention and celebrate Indigenous resilience and perseverance.