KALAMAZOO (WKZO AM/FM) — Today is Columbus Day, but the holiday isn’t what it used to be , now that historians say Christopher Columbus may not have been the guy we learned about when we were kids.
The myth that Columbus was a bold and intrepid explorer opening new worlds hasn’t held up under scrutiny by historians.
Eugene Strong with the American Indian Movement says Columbus was looking for a shortcut to China, got lost and wound up in Haiti, and he has a very negative opinion of the historic figure, calling him a murderer and slaver.
Other than Columbus Day mattress sales and the fact there will be no postal deliveries, the holiday really isn’t celebrated by many in West Michigan.
Linda Kilbourne of Marshall asked Kalamazoo City Commissioners last week to consider declaring future observances of the holiday, “Indigenous Day” instead. Mayor Bobby Hopewell asked staff to look into it, after a concensus of the City Commission expressed interest.
She says its a very difficult day for Native Americans who view Columbus in a very different light than the traditional portrait of the great Italian explorer that many of us were taught in school.
Columbus Day Parades will go on around the country, but they are putting on extra security, and have had to gaurd the Columbus Statue in Columbus Circle in New York around the clock to keep it from being desecrated.
Protestors in other communities are calling for their Columbus Statues to come down.
