Monday, Oct. 12, brings a holiday with competing names and different views of American history. Although many communities celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day, the federal holiday remains officially Columbus Day, according to the Office of Personnel Management.

The distinction reflects a debate over whom the country should honor: an explorer whose voyages transformed world history, or the Indigenous peoples who suffered under European colonization and whose communities endure today.

The differences extend across state lines. A 2025 Pew Research Center review found that 30 states recognized Columbus Day in some form, but only 20 provided a paid holiday for state workers (Indiana does not). Seventeen states and Washington, D.C., had observances honoring Native Americans on the second Monday in October, sometimes alongside Columbus Day.

Supporters of changing the name point to the consequences of Columbus’ arrival in 1492. Indigenous peoples already inhabited the Americas, and European expansion brought enslavement, warfare, displacement and devastating disease. The Library of Congress documents the enslavement of Native people in Columbus’ trading center on Hispaniola.

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian supports replacing Columbus Day, arguing that celebrating the explorer dismisses Indigenous losses and colonialism’s continuing effects. Indigenous Peoples’ Day, the museum says, recognizes Native peoples’ resilience and diversity while encouraging a fuller account of history.

Those defending Columbus Day emphasize its meaning for Italian Americans, whose ancestors faced discrimination and violence.

The National Italian American Foundation says the holiday became a source of dignity for Italian Americans and Catholics. That history includes the 1891 lynching of 11 Italian Americans in New Orleans.

The foundation also celebrates Columbus’ voyage as an achievement of exploration and a catalyst for centuries of immigration. It argues that judging a historical figure solely by modern standards overlooks context, and that eliminating the holiday would diminish an established celebration of Italian American contributions.

Recognition of Indigenous peoples does not necessarily require choosing only one observance. The foundation supports an Indigenous holiday while opposing the replacement of Columbus Day, saying both can coexist. Several states already recognize both traditions, illustrating one approach to a debate about history, identity and public honor.