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Los Angeles county has voted to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day. The vote came after a tense afternoon in LA City Hall, where people both for and against renaming and repurposing the holiday argued their points. Ultimately it was decided to change the holiday and no longer honor a man who is one the most prominent faces of the Native American genocide.
According to CBS Los Angeles, Columbus Day is one of the twelve paid holidays in Los Angeles. One the main groups protesting the change of the holiday were Italian Americans, who claimed the erasure of Columbus Day was an erasure of their heritage. The Los Angeles City Council countered this with creating a Italian American Heritage day.
Below are some of the moments from the City Hall meeting.
Native Americans denounce Columbus Day. Seek Indigenous Peoples Holiday in City of Los Angeles. pic.twitter.com/nnydy1il40
— Miriam Hernandez (@abc7miriam) August 30, 2017
A round of applause. Overdue. Hope others follow. https://t.co/RlEIbIGHAf
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) August 30, 2017
Packed house at LA City Hall for vote on replacing #ColumbusDay w/ #IndigenousPeoplesDay @KNX1070 pic.twitter.com/E1BVPlytNT
— Margaret Carrero (@KNXmargaret) August 30, 2017
Remember when I said that renaming Columbus Day was getting heated? Here's an example: pic.twitter.com/XFb3ca3XPB
— Emily Alpert Reyes (@LATimesemily) August 30, 2017
Indigenous Peoples Day will replace Columbus Day in L.A. Passionate speeches from both Native Americans and Italian Americans. pic.twitter.com/wMCv0xsBca
— mollenbeck (@amollenbeckKFI) August 30, 2017