My earliest memory of Columbus Day was in first grade before my mom dropped my siblings and I off at elementary school that day.

“Remember,” she said. “We don’t celebrate Columbus Day, so don’t take any papers [assignments].”

Of course, we did have a lesson that day in my first grade class about the holiday, and I confidently denied participating in the activities, even though I had no idea why I was refusing. Throughout the years after that, I experienced the same discomfort that my mother and grandparents had and still have about the holiday.

Growing up in a school district that celebrated Christopher Columbus, the man who led the destruction of my culture, was like a slap in the face.

We learned that Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492, but not that he enforced slavery among indigenous peoples or that punishments for the native slaves were as gruesome as having your hands cut off and tied around your neck until you bled to death. Or, that under the direction of Christopher Columbus, human bodies — indigenous bodies — were fed to dogs as food on a regular basis.

Columbus enforced murder, rape and torture in the name of greed. This is not new information to me, but it very well might be to a large chunk of our student body.

That’s why it is unfortunate to hear the school announcements mention “thanking pilgrims” or celebrating Columbus Day, a day that brings up terrible images and memories for many.

Last year, Intertribal Club did a good job in bringing awareness to the student body about Indigenous Peoples Day, which is celebrated city-wide. This holiday, meant to replace Columbus Day, celebrates the contributions and cultures of indigenous peoples in North and South America.

However, this year, with the loss of Intertribal Club, the announcements seem to have forgotten that.

Junior Grayson Rodriquez heard an announcement last Wednesday reminding students of Columbus Day, and decided to contact STUCO sponsor Keri Lauxman because she was concerned that it was brought up.

Rodriquez thought it was offensive that Columbus Day was mentioned.

“The announcement was written by HALO Club and their intention was to educate, but they obviously didn’t take into account the Native population that attends LHS or the connotation that Columbus’ name has for many other people,” Rodriquez said.

The announcement last week intended to spread awareness for holidays during National Hispanic Heritage Month. However, it mentioned Columbus Day, a holiday honoring the man who is responsible for the killing, raping and slavery of millions of indigenous people.

Rodriquez then got an email from HALO Club’s co-sponsor Sylvia Trevino-Maack, who explained she wasn’t familiar with the negative connotations surrounding Columbus and that many Hispanics celebrate Columbus Day for the culture that Spain brought.

“I was upset to find out that other people like me celebrate him,” she said. “Until that email, I had never encountered another Latinx that did.”

Rodriquez said that mentioning Columbus Day reminds people of the crimes and terrible actions that Columbus committed on millions of indigenous people hundreds of years ago.

“Spanish colonization of the Americas started with Columbus,” she said. “And I don’t think that my culture was worth the lives of those millions of Natives that were murdered, raped and enslaved.”

Lawrence High School has a lot to be proud of. A lot of indigenous students to be proud of. I encourage our student body to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day this year and in the years to come and to take the time to inform yourself and others about the misrepresentation of Christopher Columbus.