It’s no secret that Christopher Columbus’s reputation isn’t what it once was in this country. Concerns about the use of slaves and abuse of power and influence of native peoples have increasingly led to less observance and greater activism in opposition to Columbus Day. What was once a day recognized by most of the country, it’s now a day where a minority of states that recognize it.
There are 21 states that officially recognize Columbus Day, three states officially recognize Indigenous People’s Day and 26 states or just over half of the country doesn’t recognize anything officially. Florida’s one of those states. In recent years there’s been some inference about this being a red vs blue thing, but it really isn’t. Out of the three states that recognize Indigenous People’s Day, you have one blue state, one red state and a purplish state that currently has Republican leadership.
Of the 21 states recognizing Columbus Day, ten are blue and eleven red. A near-even split.
So, even as Americans debate the validity of Columbus Day, it isn’t along traditional political lines.