Having been canceled last year due to prevailing restrictions on large gatherings amid the coronavirus outbreak, the Bronx Columbus Day Parade returned for the 44th time, taking place along Morris Park Avenue in the Morris Park section of the Bronx on Sunday, Oct. 10.

 

Participating in his last parade as Mayor of New York City, Bill de Blasio joined Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark,  Assemblyman Michael Benedetto (A.D. 82), Councilman Mark Gjonaj (C.D. 13), and Councilwoman Vanessa Gibson (C.D. 16), Democratic nominee for Bronx borough president and Democratic Female District Leader Irene Estrada (A.D. 80) as they made their way to the reviewing stand on Williamsbridge Road.

 

It was a much smaller turnout than in previous years possibly due, in part, to a forecast of heavy rain or possibly due to the prevailing spread of the Delta variant of the coronavirus. As the parade participants marched past Colden Avenue, some spectators jeered De Blasio, with one woman yelling out to the mayor, “Boo! Go home!”

 

Another woman shouted, “Glad this is your last term; you ruined this City!” as she displayed a thumbs down sign. A man standing on the sidewalk yelled out to the mayor as he waved an Italian flag, “It’s a disgrace; put the flag down.” The mayor responded with an uncomfortable smile as he shared words with Benedetto.

Another woman yelled, “He has no business being here. He has some [expletive] nerve.” The woman added, “He should be shot.”

 

The parade and celebrations were scheduled to last for several hours but as rainfall arrived, the event was cut short.

 

Last October, as reported, about twenty-five demonstrators, protesting a Christopher Columbus statue erected in the Belmont section of the Bronx, were met by about fifty angry counter-demonstrators, one who was openly carrying a baseball bat and another an axe handle, as fifty police officers barely kept the groups separated during several, violent confrontations in the lead up to Columbus Day.

 

Tensions stemmed from the fact that some people support the Indigenous Peoples of America and feel that celebrating Christopher Columbus for “discovering” America is offensive given Native Americans already lived here at the time, and were persecuted by the colonizers of the country.

 

No such clashes were witnessed at the 2021 Bronx Columbus Parade Day, however.

 

Indigenous Peoples’ Day has been celebrated in some American states on the second Monday of October for several years, to honor the cultures and histories of Native Americans.

 

On Monday, Oct. 11, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that New York State would, for the first time, as a state, mark Indigenous People’s Day on Oct. 11.

 

“Join me as we celebrate New York Indigenous Peoples, their sovereignty, & their place in history – and as we recognize the scars left by their unjust treatment & build foundations of trust,” she wrote on Twitter, sharing a copy of the proclamation to mark the occasion.

 

Three days earlier, on Oct. 8, The White House issued a presidential proclamation, with President Joe Biden proclaiming Monday, Oct. 11, as Indigenous Peoples’ Day. He is the first U.S. president to formally recognize the day, as reported by The New York Times. The proclamation can be read in full further below.

“Since time immemorial, American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians have built vibrant and diverse cultures — safeguarding land, language, spirit, knowledge, and tradition across the generations. On Indigenous Peoples’ Day, our Nation celebrates the invaluable contributions and resilience of Indigenous peoples, recognizes their inherent sovereignty, and commits to honoring the Federal Government’s trust and treaty obligations to Tribal Nations.

 

Our country was conceived on a promise of equality and opportunity for all people — a promise that, despite the extraordinary progress we have made through the years, we have never fully lived up to. That is especially true when it comes to upholding the rights and dignity of the Indigenous people who were here long before colonization of the Americas began. For generations, Federal policies systematically sought to assimilate and displace Native people and eradicate Native cultures.

 

Today, we recognize Indigenous peoples’ resilience and strength as well as the immeasurable positive impact that they have made on every aspect of American society. We also recommit to supporting a new, brighter future of promise and equity for Tribal Nations — a future grounded in Tribal sovereignty and respect for the human rights of Indigenous people in the Americas and around the world.

In the first week of my Administration, I issued a memorandum reaffirming our Nation’s solemn trust and treaty obligations to American Indian and Alaska Native Tribal Nations and directed the heads of executive departments and agencies to engage in regular, meaningful, and robust consultation with Tribal officials.

 

It is a priority of my Administration to make respect for Tribal sovereignty and self-governance the cornerstone of Federal Indian policy.  History demonstrates that Native American people — and our Nation as a whole — are best served when Tribal governments are empowered to lead their communities and when Federal officials listen to and work together with Tribal leaders when formulating Federal policy that affects Tribal Nations.

The contributions that Indigenous peoples have made throughout history — in public service, entrepreneurship, scholarship, the arts, and countless other fields — are integral to our Nation, our culture, and our society.  Indigenous peoples have served, and continue to serve, in the United States Armed Forces with distinction and honor — at one of the highest rates of any group — defending our security every day.

 

And Native Americans have been on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, working essential jobs and carrying us through our gravest moments.  Further, in recognition that the pandemic has harmed Indigenous peoples at an alarming and disproportionate rate, Native communities have led the way in connecting people with vaccination, boasting some of the highest rates of any racial or ethnic group.

The Federal Government has a solemn obligation to lift up and invest in the future of Indigenous people and empower Tribal Nations to govern their own communities and make their own decisions.  We must never forget the centuries-long campaign of violence, displacement, assimilation, and terror wrought upon Native communities and Tribal Nations throughout our country.  Today, we acknowledge the significant sacrifices made by Native peoples to this country — and recognize their many ongoing contributions to our Nation.

 

On Indigenous Peoples’ Day, we honor America’s first inhabitants and the Tribal Nations that continue to thrive today.  I encourage everyone to celebrate and recognize the many Indigenous communities and cultures that make up our great country.

Today for the first time as a state, we mark Indigenous Peoples' Day.

Join me as we celebrate New York Indigenous Peoples, their sovereignty, & their place in history — and as we recognize the scars left by their unjust treatment & build foundations of trust. pic.twitter.com/gRYZ0Ce9lG

— Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) October 11, 2021

 

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim October 11, 2021, as Indigenous Peoples’ Day.  I call upon the people of the United States to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.  I also direct that the flag of the United States be displayed on all public buildings on the appointed day in honor of our diverse history and the Indigenous peoples who contribute to shaping this Nation.

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this eighth day of October, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-one, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-sixth.”

 

*Síle Moloney contributed to this story.