THE PROVIDENCE JOURNAL. The faculty voted Tuesday to drop Columbus Day in favor of “Fall Weekend” when a student group urged the change “after controversy arose over the nature of Christopher Columbus’ conquests and treatment of Native Americans.”
The school will celebrate Fall Weekend on the same day as Columbus Day, according to the student group Native Americans at Brown. That name may change in future years, the group said in a news release announcing the development on Wednesday.
Read the article on the Providence Journal and different opinions on The Brown University's Alumni Magazine.
One of the Alumni (Robert M. Wigod) actually brings up an interesting point when he says "If the Brown faculty really felt compelled to make a change, rather than run the risk of antagonizing thousands of Italian American alumni, including the mayor of Providence, perhaps it could have renamed the day for Garibaldi."
Since 1971, the Columbus Day holiday has been commemorated in the U.S. on the second Monday in October, the same day as Thanksgiving in neighboring Canada. It is generally observed today by banks, the bond market, the U.S. Postal Service and other federal agencies, most state government offices, and some school districts; however, most businesses and stock exchanges remain open.
States and city observations
Alaska
The State of Alaska, which has a large indigenous population, does not recognize Columbus Day.
Arkansas
Some public schools throughout the state are closed in observance of Columbus Day.
California
The city of Berkeley celebrates Indigenous People's Day instead of Columbus Day every year with a pow wow and Native American market.
Cleveland
The Columbus Day parade in Cleveland takes place in the Little Italy neighborhood near University Circle. The day begins with Mass at Holy Rosary Church which features the combined choirs of the four historically Italian Cleveland area churches - Holy Rosary, Holy Redeemer, St. Rocco and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. The parade then goes down Murray Hill featuring over 100 units and a dozen marching bands.
Colorado
The Columbus Day parade in Denver has been protested by Native American groups and their supporters for nearly two decades.
Hawaii
Hawaii does not officially honor Columbus day and instead celebrates Discoverer's Day on the same day, i.e., on the second Monday of each October. The day is "in recognition of the Polynesian discoverers of the Hawaiian Islands". Neither Columbus Day nor Discoverer's Day is regarded as a holiday by State government; state, city and county government offices and schools are open for business on Columbus Day, while Federal government offices are closed.
In Hawaii, the Discoverer's Day celebration has become a day of protest for some advocacy groups. A popular protest site is the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace and the Chancery building of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Honolulu. Such advocacy groups have been commemorating the Discoverer's Day holiday as their own alternative, Indigenous Peoples Day. The week is called Indigenous Peoples Week.
Massachusetts
The city of Boston, which has a large Italian population, marks the occasion on the Sunday before Columbus Day with a parade through the city that alternates each year between East Boston and the North End.
All state agencies are closed, and parking at meters is free in the city of Boston.
New York
In New York State, Columbus Day is a holiday, as government offices and public schools are closed. However, the stock markets remain open. Not all universities in the state university system, SUNY, choose to observe the holiday.
Nevada
Columbus Day is not a legal holiday in Nevada, but it is a day of observance. Schools and state, city and county government offices are open for business on Columbus Day.
Puerto Rico
As in the mainland U.S., Columbus Day is a legal holiday in the unincorporated U.S. territory of Puerto Rico.
South Dakota
In the state of South Dakota, the day is officially a state holiday known as "Native American Day", not Columbus Day.
U.S. Virgin Islands
Due to opposition against Columbus Day, in the territory of the U.S. Virgin Islands, the day is celebrated as "Puerto Rico-Virgin Islands Friendship Day."
Virginia
The second Monday in October is a legal holiday in Virginia: Columbus Day and Yorktown Victory Day, honoring Christopher Columbus, and the final victory at Yorktown in the Revolutionary War.
(Source: Wikipedia)
