RELATED: Indigenous Peoples’ Day: Biden becomes 1st president to issue proclamationBut activists, including members of Native American tribes, said ending the formal holiday in Columbus' name has been stymied by politicians and organizations focusing on Italian American heritage."The opposition has tried to paint Columbus as a benevolent man, similar to how white supremacists have painted Robert E.
Lee," Les Begay, Diné Nation member and co-founder of the Indigenous Peoples’ Day Coalition of Illinois, said, referring to the Civil War general who led the Confederate Army.Columbus’ arrival began centuries of exploration and colonization by European nations, bringing violence, disease and other suffering to native people already living in the.