For hundreds of years, Indigenous people have been mistreated in the United States. Many had their land taken from them. In the United States, many people think Columbus Day is made to celebrate someone who was very nice and kind but our fifth grade class thinks differently.

We think that we should not honor a man who oversaw the killings of Indigenous people. Recently we’ve been trying to change that. Kids should learn more about Indigenous people and the contributions they make to this state. If we change Columbus Day into Indigenous People’s Day that could help a lot of Indigenous people and make them feel respected.

We want to spread the word about the unfair treatment and racism the Indigenous people have been facing. There are already two bills that would do this: one in the Massachusetts House of Representatives (H.2989) and another one in the State Senate (S.1976) which is sponsored by Sen. Joanne Comerford, D-Northampton. Many people already support this bill. Students in Amherst convinced leaders in our town to adopt Indigenous Peoples’ Day several years ago, and we hope the change could now be made statewide.

IlonaHazlip, Aaron Cheng, Maria Salinas and Emi Cruz

Fifth grade students at Fort River Elementary in Amherst

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