Columbus Day not a celebration for all

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2002

The official Columbus Day holiday took place on Monday. Not everyone celebrated the occasion.

Activist and poet John Trudell used to day to speak about the explorer from a Native perspective. "Having native people celebrate Columbus Day is like asking Americans to celebrate Osama bin Laden Day," he said at an appearance in South Carolina, according to the Associated Press.

Meanwhile, South Dakotans observed Native American Day, which was established in 1991 by late Gov. George S. Mickelson. "It's good for Indians to have a day of their own, like a special day, and that we're treated equal," 13-year-old Chantell Pretty Sounding Flute told The Sioux Falls Argus Leader.

Get the Story:
Cathedral Mass celebrates Native American Day (The Sioux Falls Argus Leader 10/15)
American Indian shows other side of Columbus Day (AP 10/14)

Relevant Links:
Transform Columbus Day - http://www.transformcolumbusday.org
Rocky Mountain Independent Media Center, coverage of anti-Columbus Day - http://rockymountain.indymedia.org