Seattle might rename Columbus Day 'Indigenous People's Day'

Though Washington state does not recognize Columbus Day, its largest city may soon honor a holiday in its stead.

The Seattle City Council will vote Monday on a resolution to hail the second Monday of every October as "Indigenous People's Day." The effort has the backing of Democratic Mayor Ed Murray and is expected to pass with ease.

"The celebration of Christopher Columbus and his alleged 1492 discovery of the lands that would later become known as the Americas works to celebrate an era of colonization and dispossession of indigenous peoples' homelands," the Seattle Human Rights Commission, which supports the resolution, told Reuters.

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The Seattle School Board last week voted unanimously in favor of Indigenous People's Day. If the city council votes likewise, Seattle would become the second major American city, after Minneapolis, to rename the holiday Indigenous People's Day.