Christopher Columbus Park sign. (Photo: Twitter JulianaMazzaTV)
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This Monday, October 11, the Christopher Columbus Park sign in Boston was vandalized within hours of commemorating the Indigenous Peoples Day for the first time in the history of the city.
The sign had “Land Back” written in red paint. Which could refer to a movement that bears that phrase by name and seeks the restitution of land to indigenous communities.
The Land Back movement intersects with many other approaches including the dismantling of white supremacist structures, “Like the National Park Service, the police, the military industrial complex and the Border Patrol,” says the official website created by the NDN Collective, a group of indigenous peoples that works for the empowerment of their communities.
On Wednesday, October 6, Boston Mayor Kim Janey signed an executive order approving the change from Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day.
Indigenous peoples and activists have long called for the United States to end its tributes to European colonialism.
Today, a growing number of cities and towns celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day, including Amherst, Brookline, Cambridge, Northampton, and Somerville.
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