Why We'll Keep Arguing Over the Meaning of Columbus Day

Every October, the same argument resurfaces, and every October it ends the same way: nowhere. Rename it Indigenous Peoples' Day, say some cities and other organizations. Many have. Keep it Columbus Day, say Italian American organizations, and some cities quietly leave the holiday unchanged. Both sides call upon historians to back their arguments. Both sides produce statistics. Neither side moves the other an inch, and by November everyone has simply agreed to disagree until next October, when the whole thing starts over.