TRENTON, NJ – When it comes to Columbus Day or Indigenous People’s Day, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy is caught between a rock and a hard place. New Jersey has a large population of Italian Americans. Many of them are also Democrats who don’t approve of their party’s agenda to eliminate Christopher Columbus, or Italian Culture from the New Jersey history books.
Governor Phil Murphy has walked a tightrope on the topic while his party calls for the complete deletion of Columbus from the history books, he supports Columbus Day, but not the statues, but he supports Indigenous People’s Day, but not for that day replacing Columbus Day.
“I think we have to acknowledge that and find a way to be able to both celebrate Italian American heritage on the one hand and also remove symbols that offend people,” Murphy said as a bill in Trenton sought to create an official state holiday.
On Monday, Murphy gave a Twitter (X) shout-out to Columbus.
“On #ColumbusDay, we celebrate all the Italian Americans that have enriched our state through their culture & accomplishments,” he tweeted.
He was sharply criticized by the very people who put him in office, the far left. Critics jabbed Murphy on the subject, reminding him the Italian explorer was a ‘barbarian’ and ‘mass murderer’ who ‘stole land from the native people’.
In 2020, during the height of ‘cancel culture,’ the New Jersey Democrats introduced a bill to ban Columbus Day and replace it with Indigenous People’s Day. It was sponsored by Democrat legislator Brian Stack.
“This bill would replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day to honor New Jersey’s indigenous heritage and to foster a greater sense of inclusiveness towards indigenous people. The legacy of Christopher Columbus has become more controversial as his harsh treatment of indigenous people has become more widely known. An increasing number of Americans have come to recognize Columbus’s journeys into the New World as the beginning of an era of European colonization and conquest,” Stack wrote. “In response, many states and municipalities have replaced Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day to bring greater attention to the plight of Indigenous people and to celebrate indigenous cultures. Although two municipalities in New Jersey recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Columbus Day remains a public holiday. This bill would amend the list of paid holidays granted to State employees, the list of holidays for which schools are required to conduct patriotic activities, and the list of recognized legal holidays, to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day. By setting aside a day to celebrate the history and culture of indigenous people, we can begin the long overdue process of acknowledging an overlooked and underappreciated part of our State’s population.”
After realizing support for his cancellation of Christopher Columbus and Italian Heritage in New Jersey was a proverbial shooting in the foot, Stack rescinded the bill.
Columbus Day remains the officially recognized holiday, thanks in part to Phil Murphy signaling that he would not sign it, even if it did pass. Despite the party’s efforts at the federal level, the federal government recognizes Indigenous Peoples Day, but it is still not a recognized federal holiday.