Should Columbus Day Become Indigenous Peoples Day? Ypsilanti Considers Change

YPSILANTI (WWJ/AP) - Ypsilanti is considering a proposal by its mayor to change Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day.

Mayor Amanda Maria Edmonds told the Detroit Free Press it's the "right thing to do" and introduced a resolution Tuesday night. The proposal was referred to a committee for discussion and a vote before the full council could come next month.

If approved, Ypsilanti would join a growing list of U.S. cities in honoring American Indians on the holiday. In Michigan, Alpena and Traverse City decided this year to recognize Columbus Day also as Indigenous Peoples Day, but didn't replace recognizing 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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