The Native American Council of Columbia University gathered on Low Plaza to hold a vigil and protest against the values that Columbus Day perpetuates. The council sought to raise awareness about the issue and promoted the replacement of Columbus Day with Indigenous People’s day. Members claimed that celebrating Columbus Day downplays the mistreatment and disease the Indigenous peoples of the Americas suffered as a result of European colonization.

"As a Mexican-American, I feel very strongly on the issue. Celebrating Columbus Day as the discovery of the New World is very culturally ignorant, assuming there was already 8 million native inhabitants before Columbus even came. And the consideration of a new world implies that the world we previously had was inferior in some way."

"In my old school system, there were a lot of Native American kids there and Columbus Day was still celebrated. You got the day off and everything. A lot of them didn’t even want to take the day off because they didn’t feel like they should take the day off for a day like that."

"I agree that it should be renamed, but I don’t know if Indigenous People’s Day is necessarily the thing that rolls off the tongue best. But, it definitely should be stressed that not only did Columbus not necessarily find the U.S., but there were a lot of people living here beforehand."

Other students felt less passionate about the issue, especially since Columbia itself, unlike many other academic and public institutions, does not celebrate Columbus Day.

"tradition that we’ve been keeping going, and it celebrates explorations. There were some unfortunate side effects, but thus is history."

"To me, it’s not a big deal. I don’t pay attention, to it. I’m in school, so if have the day off, of course, I’m going to enjoy it, but if not, I’ll do whatever I have to do. I had a midterm that day, so that wasn’t even my main concern."

The protest on Low steps and the controversy over Columbus Day are not unique to Columbia. Groups nationwide have voiced their concerns about the observance of Columbus Day, as well as campaigned for establishing Indigenous Peoples' Day. Columbus Day has been a national holiday since 1934 and no efforts have been made to alleviate the controversy surrounding the event. Multiple Latin American countries have changed the focus of their celevrations, yet it remains to be seen whether action will be taken to resolve the issue here in the United States.