Brown University celebrates first official Indigenous Peoples’ Day

By Ana Bottary

abottary@abc6.com

@anabottary

Dozens of Brown University students gathered together Monday, to support the universities first official Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
 
"This small victory and the establishment of the native American indigenous studies program, is a very large step on the road to progress," says Brown student Ruth Miller.
 
Brown is among those who’ve been criticizing Columbus Day as a federal holiday, Pointing out the ways he exploited indigenous peoples when he came to the new world.
 
"There was concern about having a holiday that celebrated someone who really had personally perpetuated rape, murder and genocide and so there was a real push to celebrate indigenous people," says Brown Universities Elizabeth Hoover.
 
In 2009, the University stopped calling it Columbus Day weekend on campus and changed it to "fall weekend."

"There was a push again to say okay we need to really celebrate indigenous people. The history of the indigenous peoples land the university sits on and all the indigenous people who have come through, students and staff and now faculty," adds Hoover.

In February faculty voted to change the name of the day to Indigenous Peoples’ Day to honor Native Americans.
 
" I think it was a really great change the university, and I think it really brought awareness to the history of the native Americans," says Brown Student Lauren Shin.

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