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Detroit plans to recognize Indigenous Peoples Day next year

A tribal member of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians.
Eva Petoskey

Detroit plans to recognize Indigenous Peoples Day starting next year instead of Columbus Day.

The Detroit News reports City Council approved a proposal Tuesday on the issue about how to mark the second Monday of October.

Detroit joins five other  Michigan cities that have adopted Indigenous Peoples Day, including Alpena, Ann Arbor, East Lansing, Traverse City and Ypsilanti.

Other U.S. cities have made changes, as well. Columbus Day, the federal holiday commemorating the 1492 voyage of Christopher Columbus, has been protested by those who argue his arrival to the Americas ushered in centuries of mistreatment of Native Americans.

Councilwoman Raquel Castaneda-Lopez proposed the resolution, saying it will help illuminate history that's overlooked by "mainstream society."

Several people spoke out against the proposal, saying Columbus Day should be kept and calling the change an attack on Italian-Americans.

In Detroit, the newspaper says city workers don't get Columbus Day as a paid day off.

The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting.
Emma is a communications specialist with the digital team at Michigan Radio. She works across all departments at Michigan Radio, with a hand in everything from digital marketing and fundraising to graphic design and website maintenance. She also produces the station's daily newsletter, The Michigan Radio Beat.
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