Indigenous Peoples' Day (United States)
| Indigenous Peoples' Day | |
|---|---|
Celebration in Berkeley, California, 2012 | |
| Also called | First People's Day or Native American Day |
| Observed by | Various states and municipalities in the Americas on the second Monday in October, in lieu of Columbus Day |
| Type | Ethnic |
| Significance | A day in honor of Native Indigenous Americans in opposition to the celebration of Columbus Day. |
| Date | Varies |
| 2025 date | October 13, 2025 |
| 2026 date | October 12, 2026 |
| 2027 date | October 11, 2027 |
| Frequency | Annual |
| First time | October 11, 1992 |
| Related to | National Indigenous Peoples Day in Canada |
Indigenous Peoples' Day is an official city and state holiday in various localities in the United States that celebrates and honors Indigenous American peoples (Native Americans) and commemorates their histories and cultures. It is celebrated on the second Monday in October. It began as a counter-celebration held on the same day as the U.S. federal holiday of Columbus Day, which honors Italian explorer Christopher Columbus. It is celebrated as an alternative to Columbus Day, citing the lasting harm Indigenous tribes suffered because of Columbus's contributions to the European colonization of the Americas.
The roots of the holiday can be traced back to discussions and propositions regarding instituting it as a replacement for Columbus Day that took place in 1977 during The International NGO Conference on Discrimination Against Indigenous Populations in the Americas in Geneva, Switzerland. In 2021, Joe Biden formally commemorated the holiday with a presidential proclamation, becoming the first U.S. president to do so, and presidential proclamations have also been issued in 2022, 2023, and 2024.