Columbus Day has been a long running holiday in the U.S. since 1937. Although Columbus was not the first person to discover the landmass that is now the U.S., he is remembered as a figure of exploration and Italian-American heritage. Columbus and his crew had set out to reach a western sea route to China, so when they landed in the Americas they thought they had reached China. Since its founding, Columbus Day has been criticized, some citing Columbus’s cruelty and criminality.

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Much of the controversy that lies in Columbus Day is the mass raping, torturing and killing of indigenous people done by the Europeans that came to the Americas. These people brought disease, destruction and catastrophe. Columbus enslaved the people he met, prostituted off young children to his sailors. This is true of many explorers that are taught in schools and are remembered fondly. The harsh reality is that we should not be celebrating a man, or men, who caused so much pain, destruction and committed unspeakable acts.

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Celebrating Columbus is very disrespectful to the descendants of those people who had their lives ripped apart by invaders. Similar to the idealism of the Confederate Flag, the high regard in which Columbus is held is entirely inappropriate and appalling.

Of course, Trump chimed in with a display of his ignorance and disregard of the sensitivity of this day. He said on Twitter that the arrival of Europeans in the Americas was a “transformative event that undeniably and fundamentally changed the course of human history and set the stage for the development of our great Nation.”

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In his Columbus Day Proclamation, Trump said, “Therefore, on Columbus Day, we honor the skilled navigator and man of faith, whose courageous feat brought together continents and has inspired countless others to pursue their dreams and convictions--even in the face of extreme doubt and tremendous adversity.”

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Instead of celebrating Columbus Day, many cities have decided to hold “Indigenous People’s Day.” According to CNN, at least 16 states don’t recognize Columbus Day as a public holiday. Hopefully, more states and cities will catch onto the idea that celebrating a person who murdered and enslaved many people is not someone to be revered. Schools should not be giving children, many of whom are the same age as the children Columbus prostituted off, a day off to remember a man who committed so many crimes.

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The idea that Columbus’s feats are worthy of fond remembrance should be eclipsed by the inhumane and cruel things he did to countless humans. It is time for us to recognize that Columbus was not a great man and that he does not deserve a day of recognition.