Ann Arbor To Ditch Columbus Day For 'Indigenous Peoples Day'
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP/WWJ) - The city of Ann Arbor plans to recognize Indigenous Peoples Day starting next year — instead of Columbus Day.
The Ann Arbor News reports City Council voted Monday night to mark Indigenous Peoples Day as a chance "to reflect upon the ongoing struggles of indigenous people on this land" and to celebrate the culture of indigenous people in the Great Lakes region and beyond.
The council's resolution encourages other businesses, organizations and public entities to recognize Indigenous Peoples Day as well.
Some other U.S. cities have made similar changes. Leaders are considering it in nearby Ypsilanti where the mayor said it's the "right thing to do."
Columbus Day, the federal holiday commemorating the 1492 voyage of Christopher Columbus, has been protested by those who argue he "discovered" a place that was already known and populated, and ushered in an era when the people native to the land were abused and slaughtered.
A statue of the man was reportedly vandalized by someone expressing his or her feelings on the issue this past Columbus Day outside the Renaissance Center in Detroit. A bloody ax was stabbed into Columbus' head with a trail of red paint sliding down his torso.
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