Springfield, Ill.—Students at the Springfield Learning Academy sought support from the Dominican Sisters of Springfield for their effort to have the city council proclaim the second Monday of October Indigenous People’s Day. They found it in the form of an intervention from Sister Marie Michelle Hackett. She was invited to join the students at the City Council meeting by their social studies teacher, Mrs. Michelle Cruz Hine.
Sister Marie Michelle, who had a 54-year-career as an educator, has long been interested in the rights and history of Native Americans. She serves on the Native American subcommittee of the Dominican Sisters Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation committee, and is a member of Las Casas, a national board that supports the work of Dominican sisters and friars ministering on Indian Reservations around the U.S.
“The students from the learning academy have certainly done their homework and they are passionate about this proposal,” Sister Marie Michelle said to the council. “I am asking all of you to not only listen to what they have to say with your ears but also with your hearts, for these young people are the future voices of America.”
In spite of her intervention and contributions to the discussion by two SLA students, their teacher, and another supporter, the council tabled the resolution. Some alders objected to the proposed amendment requesting the dual-designations of Indigenous People’s day and Italian-American Heritage Day on the grounds that the Italian-American community in Springfield has not been given an opportunity to weigh in on the proposal.
The SLA students oppose naming a holiday after Christopher Columbus because of the colonization and enslavement that Columbus and the Spaniards were responsible for. They hope the Italian-American community in Springfield will be open to their proposal to rename that holiday to honor Italian Americans.
The students learned from their teachers Mrs. Cruz and Emily Anderson that a 1891 lynching of 11 Italian Americans in New Orleans was one of the incidents that led to the Columbus Day observances.
Sister Marie Michelle approved of the students proposal. “It seems to me this might be a way for both populations to recognize the discrimination they’ve face and share their pride in their contributions to our nation. It might enable Native Americans and Italian Americans to understand their shared oppression and be an occasion for healing,” she mused after the city council meeting.
The federal government began observing the holidays on the same day in 2021 when President Joe Biden became the first president to issue twin proclamations declaring the second Monday of October Indigenous People’s Day and Columbus Day.
An earlier request at city council also resulted in the resolution being tabled because some alders said they heard objections from Italian-Americans in their wards who opposed including Indigenous People’s Day on the same date, which since 1937 has been a national holiday. To date, no one representing the Italian-American community in Springfield has made known their thoughts before the entire city council.
While it is back to the drawing board for the SLA students, they are committed to seeking the common ground they need for passage of the resolution. “My students are still hopeful for a ‘both-and’ solution that honors Indigenous People and Italian-Americans. Theyare clear-eyed about the oppressive history that underlies both groups’ stories,” Mrs. Cruz said.
Photo: Sister Marie Michelle, second from the right, stands outside Springfield City Council chambers with Sister M. Clare Fichtner (far right), Sister Beth Murphy, (left of Sister Marie Michelle), and students, teachers and supporters from the Springfield Learning Academy. SLA social studies teacher Michelle Cruz Hine is on the far left.
