Dear Anteaters,

For the last 81 years, the United States has observed the second Monday of October as Columbus Day as a national holiday. By association of observance, this day celebrates the initiation of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade and marks the disintegration of the Native American peoples and culture through the onslaught of colonization, disease, massacre, and forced assimilation.

Due to this decimation and the historical implications of this observance, we as Associated Students of University of California, Irvine will not be celebrating this day as Columbus day; rather , we will be honoring the first people by celebrating today, October 12th, as Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

The proposal to replace Columbus Day with a day highlighting the Indigenous Peoples of North America is endorsed by the United Nations, and movements implementing this change are being made at various cities, universities, and school districts across the country.

On behalf of ASUCI, I wish you all a very Happy Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

Sincerely,
Parshan Khosravi
President, Associated Students of UC Irvine