HUTTO – Texas continues to officially recognize the second Monday in October as Columbus Day, and the White House recognizes the day as both Columbus Day and Indigenous People’s Day concurrently. Hutto, however, has seen the last of Christopher Columbus Day, at least as far as holidays go.
At the recommendation of city staff, Hutto’s city council approved a motion to adopt Indigenous Peoples’ Day as a regular occurring holiday every year going forward on the second Monday of October. The city did not celebrate Columbus Day in 2022, so Indigenous People’s Day would increase the number of annual city holidays from 13 to 14.
According to the National Museum of the American Indian, 14 states and about 130 cities nationwide celebrated Indigenous Peoples’ Day in place of or in addition to Columbus Day in 2022. Texas was not one of those states.
“The reason I pulled this item, it sounded like we were just doing it for one day and instead I want to make it a regular holiday,” said Mayor Mike Snyder about why he asked for a separate vote on the issue. He also wanted to make sure people knew that the city was adding that specific holiday. “From a presentation standpoint, I want to make sure the public knows what I’m talking about. If I see (the agenda item) as a city holiday calendar I yawn and move on. If I know it’s specifically talking about Indigenous Peoples’ Day, I’ll make it a point to come up and speak because I think it should happen or should not happen,” the mayor said.
Nobody from the audience mentioned the addition during the public comment phase of the meeting. According to the US Census, an estimated 299 Hutto residents claim American Indian as their primary heritage. The actual number of Native Americans could potentially be higher since almost 15% of Hutto residents identify as being two or more races.
With widespread efforts to abolish Columbus Day, many may not remember the holiday wasn’t established to honor Christopher Columbus, but to symbolize the importance of Italian Americans and the relationship between the US and Italy, according to the White House.
The holiday was started by President Harrison in 1892 in response to a hate crime that took the lives of 11 Italian-Americans. President Joe Biden continues to recognize the holiday, citing Italy’s partnership with the U.S. to support Ukraine.
President Biden simultaneously recognizes Indigenous Peoples’ Day as a national holiday.
“I call upon the people of the United States to observe this day with ceremonies and activities,” Biden said upon signing the latter proclamation. Some appropriate activities, according to the Smithsonian Institute’s Nation Museum of the American Indian, would be taking a moment to acknowledge the land and name the Indigenous People who originally lived there, and checking out Indigenous books and entertainment.
