Guest Post: Indigenous Peoples’ Day Is Not a Hashtag. It’s a Call to Action. By Allie Redhorse Young

Indigenous Peoples’ Day Is Not a Hashtag. It’s a Call to Action.

By Allie Redhorse Young

Each year, on the second Monday of October, many Americans now recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day. But let’s be honest: most of what happens on this day can be performative. A land acknowledgement here. A quote from a Native ancestor there. Maybe a school lesson or an Instagram post. Then it’s back to business as usual.

That’s not honoring Indigenous peoples. That’s optics.

As a citizen of the Diné (Navajo) Nation and founder of Protect the Sacred, I want to offer a clear alternative: if you truly want to show up for Native communities—not just on this day but every day—it’s time to stop performing solidarity and start practicing it.

Here’s how.

1. Work With Us, Not Around Us

Indigenous Peoples’ Day isn’t something you “celebrate.” It’s something you activate.

If you're planning an event or initiative, ask: Are Native people leading this? Are we working with Native-led organizations? Are we funding their work—not just inviting them to speak for free?

Groups like mine (Protect the Sacred), Native Organizers Alliance, NDN Collective, Return to the Heart Foundation, Arizona Native Vote, and Native Americans in Philanthropy are already doing the work to protect our lands, languages, voting rights, and futures. They don’t need saviors—they need real allies who are willing to collaborate, step back, and redirect resources.

2. Visibility Is Power—And We’re Still Largely Invisible

Native Americans make up about 3% of the U.S. population, yet we’re almost entirely invisible in mainstream media, politics, and pop culture. When we do appear, it’s often told by non-Native folks, and it’s often as stereotypes, side characters, or museum pieces.

That invisibility has consequences. It fuels ignorance. It sustains policy neglect. It allows the crises in our communities—like missing and murdered Indigenous women, climate injustice, and voter suppression—to go unaddressed.

Representation matters. So support Native authors like Tommy Orange, Louise Erdrich, Eliana Ramage, and Joy Harjo. Watch shows like Reservation Dogs, Rutherford Falls, and Dark Winds—shows that are either created, directed or written by, and starring Indigenous talent. Read Indigenous-run news and pop culture outlets like ICT (formerly Indian Country Today) and IndigenousTV on Instagram. Follow Native voices online—and listen.

3. Allyship Is a Verb

If you want to honor Indigenous Peoples’ Day, do more than acknowledge the land—support the people.

That means:

●Funding Native organizations year-round, not just on a holiday or when a buzzworthy issue is impacting in our communities.

●Hiring Native consultants, speakers, and artists—and paying them equitably.

●Changing systems from within if you hold power in education, philanthropy, media, or government.

●Standing up for Native voting rights and protecting Tribal sovereignty.

● Correcting the record in classrooms, boardrooms, and wherever our stories have been erased.

Being an ally isn’t about feelings. It’s about choices. Redistribution. Accountability.

4. Make This the Beginning, Not the End

Indigenous Peoples’ Day should spark action—not check a box.

We are not your history lesson. We are living nations with knowledge, leadership, and solutions this world desperately needs—especially in the face of climate collapse, cultural fragmentation, and injustice.

Don’t reduce us to a day. Invest in us for the long haul.

The bottom line…

You can’t claim to care about justice and leave Indigenous people out of the conversation. You can’t acknowledge stolen land and ignore the communities still fighting to protect it.

If you want to honor Indigenous Peoples’ Day in a way that actually matters: follow our lead, fund our work, elevate our stories—and most importantly, keep showing up when the hashtags fade.

We’re not going anywhere. The question is, will you stand with us?

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