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Columbus fuels US legacy debate

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The United States observed Columbus Day alongside Indigenous Peoples’ Day, as celebrations highlighted political disputes over the explorer’s legacy and Italian American identity.

by Robert B. Reich

16%
rbreich.bsky.social
Today is Indigenous Peoples Day.

Please remove Columbus Day from your vocabulary.
October 12, 2026 at 1:53 PM

by Manisha Sinha

16%
profmsinha.bsky.social
Historian here happy indigenous peoples day. Columbus was arrested by the Spanish monarchy for his atrocities. Italian American immigrants at the turn of the twentieth century claimed him. Wish they had gone with Mazzini or Garibaldi. Columbus was from Genoa long before Italy was united as a nation
October 12, 2026 at 4:48 PM

by Elizabeth Weiss

22%

Reposted by Aric Rindfleisch

1%

by Newt Gingrich

10%

by Michael C. Dorf Reposted by Eric J. Segall

18%
Trump's Columbus Day Proclamation contains no mention of the suffering and death Columbus unleashed upon the indigenous peoples of the Americas. On the blog, I argue that, in light of his prior statements and the proclamation itself, Trump lionizes Columbus because, not in spite, of his atrocities.👇
www.dorfonlaw.org
October 12, 2026 at 12:00 PM

by Andrew Scott

8%
ottoenglish.bsky.social
Columbus didn't 'discover America' and more to the point was a truly ghastly human being 'even by the standards of his day.'

q.v his brutal leadership in Hispaniola saw him returned to Spain in chains - and while he didn't die in total disgrace ... we're talking Isabella and Ferdinand here.
1/3
Happy Columbus Day
ALT: Happy Columbus Day
static.klipy.com
October 12, 2026 at 4:07 PM

Reposted by Christopher McCabe

3%
lakotaman.bsky.social
So, a Trump supporter told me that, “nobody gives a sh*t” about Indigenous Peoples Day. Please, tell me, do you care about Indigenous Peoples Day?
October 12, 2026 at 11:36 AM

by Kori Schake

18%
kschake.bsky.social
The amazing thing about Columbus is what a fantastic navigator he was. Sailed across the Atlantic and back using only dead reckoning and made landfall just five miles from where he started. (h/t Samual Elliot Morrison)
October 12, 2026 at 5:28 PM

Reposted by Richard Waite

0%
ziibiing.com
fun fact: in 1992, berkley replaced columbus day with Indigenous Peoples day.

then no other city or state did until 2014,when i was a policy aide for Alondra Cano and some friends and i convinced her to pass the resolution in Minneapolis.

i got to write it and plan the celebration.
TIME Subscribe U.S. STATES Minneapolis to Celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day On Columbus Day Nolan Feeney @NolanFeeney April 26, 2014 The city will commemorate the
October 12, 2026 at 11:59 AM

by Joffre Swait́

2%

by Alfred G. Cuzán

10%

Reposted by Philip Cowley

11%
tomfreeman.bsky.social
I appreciate that Columbus is a controversial figure but at least we can all agree that he solved a lot of crimes
October 12, 2026 at 4:16 PM

by Afl-Cio

2%
aflcio.org
Indigenous Peoples’ Day is a time to celebrate those who first called this land home.

America’s unions honor the many indigenous communities and cultures that have contributed to the story of the labor movement, and we recognize the struggles and tragedies they have endured.
Indigenous Peoples’ Day | AFL-CIO
October 12, 2026 at 12:24 PM

Reposted by Lesley A. Hall

13%
taenia.bsky.social
I hate this phrasing, like it's some kind of modern trend or a matter of perspective. Columbus was a genocidal bastard. The Europeans OF HIS TIME knew it.

Isabella appointed a royal commissioner to investigate rumors of his brutality and incompetence, who sent him back to Spain in literal chains.
evanbernick.bsky.social Evan Bernick, a finite mode with a smol hooman and a lorg floof @evanbernick.bsky.social · 18h
what the blue fuck is that second sentence. No remotely honest person would deny that Columbus brought genocide and colonization in his wake.
In more recent decades, the controversy has been over Columbus himself. Indigenous groups and other activists have rejected the narrative that Christopher Columbus, the Italian navigator, was a great explorer, saying he brought genocide and colonization in his wake.
October 12, 2026 at 5:14 AM

Reposted by Steve Peers

8%
petramichaela.bsky.social
1/3
October 12th is Indigenous Peoples' Day. It is not just about history, but also about teaching our children that no culture is less important, that every voice deserves to be heard, and that no child should feel ashamed of where they come from.
October 12, 2026 at 1:25 PM

Reposted by Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò

5%
tkovach.bsky.social
To quote @patrickwyman.bsky.social once again: Christopher Columbus was "a dogshit person even by the standards of the late 15th century."
olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social · Oct 13
yearly reminder to people insisting that we view Christopher Columbus as "a man of his time" that *the people responsible for the Spanish Inquisition* thought Columbus was out of pocket
tlecaque.bsky.social Thomas Lecaque @tlecaque.bsky.social · Oct 13
Christopher Columbus was dragged back to Spain in chains by a crusading knight, convicted of tyranny and immeasurable cruelty, pardoned by Isabella but banned from returning to Hispaniola.

Fuck Columbus.
October 12, 2026 at 2:26 PM

Reposted by Andrew Jacobs

9%
tlecaque.bsky.social
In advance of tomorrow:
tlecaque.bsky.social Thomas Lecaque @tlecaque.bsky.social · Oct 13
Christopher Columbus was dragged back to Spain in chains by a crusading knight, convicted of tyranny and immeasurable cruelty, pardoned by Isabella but banned from returning to Hispaniola.

Fuck Columbus.
October 12, 2026 at 2:05 AM

Reposted by Christopher McCabe

3%
southcarolinadop.bsky.social
Happy Indigenous Peoples’ Day!
October 12, 2026 at 12:38 PM

by Silvia Secchi

8%
profsecchi.bsky.social
I am Italian and my partner and kids are Native American, this is some of the most revolting trash one can say about Columbus and his historical role.

Perhaps one should think about who - in Anno Domini 2026 - is promoting the narrative that he was a great explorer, and why.
evanbernick.bsky.social Evan Bernick, a finite mode with a smol hooman and a lorg floof @evanbernick.bsky.social · 18h
what the blue fuck is that second sentence. No remotely honest person would deny that Columbus brought genocide and colonization in his wake.
In more recent decades, the controversy has been over Columbus himself. Indigenous groups and other activists have rejected the narrative that Christopher Columbus, the Italian navigator, was a great explorer, saying he brought genocide and colonization in his wake.
October 12, 2026 at 3:18 AM
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