University of Kentucky organizations held a protest calling for October 13 to be recognized as Indigenous Peoples’ Day instead of Columbus Day and for free speech protection on college campuses.
The Intersection Feminists Collective (IFC), University of Kentucky Young Communist League, Young Democratic Socialists of America and Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) hosted the protest at the William T. Young Library patio on Monday, Oct. 13.
Sophia Landfield, a student leader with SJP and IFC, led the attendees through chants and a march to the Bowman Wildcat Statue then back to William T. Young Library.
Landfield was the only attendee to speak with the Kentucky Kernel, saying she spoke on behalf of the protesters and organizers.
“We are calling for the recognition of Indigenous Peoples’ Day and we think that there is no pride in celebrating the genocide of indigenous peoples across the world,” Landfield said.
The protest’s importance, according to Landfield, was to bring attention to the “harmful structures” of colonization and imperialism that “brought an end” to Native American cultures.
“I find it (protesting) important because I exist at a point of privilege, for multiple reasons, in my life,” Landfield said. “I feel it’s my responsibility and my duty as someone living in America, we are the most privileged people in the world and this is not without the oppression of others.”
In September 2023, a bill was introduced to Congress to officially rename Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples’ Day, but it was never voted on, according to Congress.gov.
On October 9, President Donald Trump issued a proclamation to officially recognize October 13, 2025 as Columbus Day, according to whitehouse.gov.
“Outrageously, in recent years, Christopher Columbus has been a prime target of a vicious and merciless campaign to erase our history, slander our heroes, and attack our heritage. Before our very eyes, left-wing radicals toppled his statues, vandalized his monuments, tarnished his character, and sought to exile him from our public spaces,” the proclamation said. “Under my leadership, those days are finally over — and our Nation will now abide by a simple truth: Christopher Columbus was a true American hero, and every citizen is eternally indebted to his relentless determination.”
Landfield said Monday’s protest was about more than just Columbus Day, bringing attention to the University of Louisville police department’s response to a protest on their campus.
A student activist and SJP member at UofL was arrested on Oct. 13, according to a post by LouisvilleSJP.
“They launched their encampment, and they were met with immediate repression,” Landfield said. “They had an emergency rally, and they attempted to set up the encampment once again, which was forcibly removed, and a student, who was simply standing there and speaking toward the police, was arrested.”
Organizers and attendees also expressed support for Ramsi Woodcock, a tenured UK professor who was removed from the classroom after publishing a petition which UK president Eli Capilouto said “can be interpreted as antisemitic” in a campus-wide email.
Landfield said Capilouto is “abusing his powers” as university president and called for his removal.
“He has infringed on free speech on campus. He removed DEI policies before he even had to. He just goes out of his way to comply with the law, as he likes to say,” Landfield said. “It is the responsibility of a president of a university to stand up for his students and not back down in the face of repression.”
