Indigenous Peoples’ Day was first officially proclaimed by US President Joe Biden in 2021. Acknowledging that it is imperative to uphold the rights and dignity of the indigenous people who were here long before colonization of the Americas began, Biden also admitted that US federal policies systematically sought to assimilate and displace Native people and eradicate Native cultures.

Kerri Malloy, a professor of Native American and Indigenous Studies at San José State University, told NPR that Columbus’ arrival to the Americas “triggered a mass genocide of Indigenous people throughout the Western hemisphere,” which included deadly diseases being spread among them, their land being stolen, and forcible conversion to Christianity.

Why should each of us celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day, when so much has changed in the 250 years of our nation? There are so many reasons to celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Here are a few.

How do we begin? Perhaps we listen to indigenous elders who devote their lives to life-giving acts of “intentional decolonization, our way of keeping alive a simple custom that’s become sacred.”

We can respect indigenous self-determination in the US. Research indicates that three priorities continue to be important to Indigenous people: food security, Indigenous knowledge and practices, and the transmission of culture and traditional ways of living to younger generations.

Of them all, the urgency of building food sovereignty in Indigenous communities is “stark,” argues Danielle Nierenberg at the Food Tank.

“Food insecurity levels among Native households in the United States are significantly above the national average,” she continues.

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