Paul Steinhauser, Concord Monitor, January 12, 2019
Sen. Elizabeth Warren said she supports a bill making its way through the New Hampshire Legislature that would honor North America’s native residents over Christopher Columbus.
“I’m in favor of honoring,” the senator from Massachusetts and all-but-certain Democratic presidential candidate said about a bill to change Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day. “I think that’s a good thing for us to do.”
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“My view on this is why would we not want to honor indigenous people. These were the people who were here. These were the people who in Massachusetts reached out and helped the first settlers to Massachusetts Bay colony and helped them survive those first harsh and rugged years,” Warren said.
Warren’s visit to the Granite State came just days after the bill to change the name of Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day in the New Hampshire received its first committee hearing in the Legislature.
Supporters of the bill – who spoke at a hearing Wednesday – said taking Christopher Columbus’s name off the holiday would correct the record on the Italian explorer’s deadly exploits, while elevating the history of indigenous people.
The Republican-led state House of Representatives rejected a similar bill last March. Opponents suggested the change would disrespect those of Italian heritage. {snip}
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