CINCINNATI -- The Queen City could become Ohio's first city to formally swap out Columbus Day for Indigenous Peoples' Day if a resolution passed in committee Monday morning is approved by city council.
Indigenous Peoples' Day was first proposed in 1977 by a delegation of Native nations to the United Nations-sponsored International Conference on Discrimination Against Indigenous Populations in the Americas.
Since then, numerous communities around the United States have redirected their celebrations of Christopher Columbus' historic journey across the Atlantic toward commemorations of indigenous Americans lost to genocide and colonial oppression. This year's most recent adopters include the University of North Alabama and Spokane, Washington.
The Human Services, Youth and Arts committee chaired by Councilwoman Yvette Simpson heard presentations Monday from members of the Cincinnati Human Relations Commission, including Director Ericka King-Betts; Christina Brown, community outreach and engagement coordinator; and Jheri Nehri, member of the Indigenous Peoples' Day steering committee. Their presentation is available in the box below.
