Robby Romero, Bonnie Rait, Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View, California | Photography by: Lisa Law
“As we celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day, we walk in beauty in the footsteps of our ancestors and embrace the wisdom, courage, and remarkable resilience of our sisters and brothers, whose voice and vision continue to be an Indigenous Call to Consciousness.”
In a historic move, the California Bay Area Indian Alliance persuaded the Berkeley city council in 1992 to declare October 12 as a Day of Solidarity with Indigenous Peoples. This decision, the first in the U.S., saw a city replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day, paving the way for similar actions in other cities and states.
On October 10 and 11, 1992, Bill Grahm Presents hosted a weekend of benefit concerts and celebrations leading to Indigenous Peoples’ Day. The event culminated in years of advocacy and activism by Indigenous organizations, including The Traditional Circle of Elders and Youth and The International Indian Treaty Council. The concert series was held at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California, and featured a diverse lineup of Indigenous traditional and contemporary artists, including Robby Romero, John Trudell, and Floyd Westerman, and mainstream headliners, including Santana, Bonnie Rait, and John Lee Hooker.
The movement to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day traces back to 1977 when a delegation of Indigenous Peoples played a pivotal role at the International Conference on Discrimination Against Indigenous Populations in the Americas. This historic conference, sponsored by the United Nations, was held at the Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland, from 20-23 September. The keynote speech was delivered by Russell Means, national director of the American Indian Movement (AIM), and over a hundred Indigenous representatives, including Onondaga Faithkeeper Oren Lyons, seen left in the photograph above.
In 2021, recognition of Indigenous Peoples’ Day reached a significant milestone when Joe Biden, the 46th President of the United States, issued the first-ever Presidential Proclamation of the day. By 2024, 29 U.S. states had followed suit, no longer celebrating Columbus Day but observing Indigenous Peoples’ Day. This shift is not limited to U.S. states, as numerous cities and school systems have also embraced Indigenous Peoples’ Day, making it a truly inclusive movement on the right side of history.
It’s unfathomable to imagine anyone fabricating a preposterous story about discovering a place that has been inhabited since time immemorial by Indigenous Peoples. Today’s existence of fraudsters, conspiracy theorists, and political power players is a stark reminder of the historical injustices caused by propaganda and stereotypes and the urgent need for a more honest and empathetic understanding of truth and reconciliation.
Celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day with us at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico, or check with your community or local municipality for your area’s events, rallies, and celebrations. Participation in these events is not just a celebration but a crucial step towards understanding and respecting Indigenous culture and recognizing the responsibility and collective role we all play in the delicate web of life.