City of South San Francisco Recognizes Indigenous Peoples Day on the Second Monday in October

South San Francisco, CA  September 1, 2020 Press Release

City honors tribal nations as original inhabitants of homeland

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., August 28, 2020 – At the August 26 City Council Meeting, Council unanimously agreed on recognizing the second Monday in October as

Indigenous Peoples Day in lieu of Columbus Day. The City of South San Francisco joins many cities across the nation in this change. California has been home to a large

population of indigenous people, who have contributed culturally to the character and history of the state. Native Americans were pushed out of their homeland by European

immigrants, and subsequently reinvented or outright erased the culture and history of the original inhabitants of California. Indigenous Peoples Day is both a recognition of

our diversity and of the culture and resilience of indigenous peoples everywhere.

“This change is another step in the right direction of where we want South San Francisco to go as a City. We are not erasing history, but we want to remember

and recognize the accurate version of it,” says Mayor Richard Garbarino.

California officially celebrated and adopted Indigenous Peoples Day in 2017. Indigenous Peoples Day was first celebrated in Berkeley in 1992 as “Day of Solidarity with Indigenous People”.

“It is important to recognize the contributions and history of the indigenous people who inhabited this land long before Columbus sailed in 1492” added Mayor Garbarino, “and to support an accurate account of historical events surrounding colonization of the Americas after Columbus’ arrival.”

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{more on Columbus Day/ Indigenous Peoples Day click HERE.}