For the first time, Seattle will designate the second Monday in October as “Indigenous Peoples’ Day.”
On October 6th, the Seattle City Council unanimously adopted a resolution (No.31538) to rename the holiday observed nationally as Columbus Day, in order to celebrate the contributions and culture of Indigenous Peoples throughout the region.
This afternoon, Seattle Mayor Ed Murray met with tribal leaders as well as members of the city council to participate in a signing ceremony of the Indigenous Peoples Day resolution to declare the day.
Seattle is not the first city to celebrate the holiday in this fashion. Today, 16 states do not recognize Columbus Day as a holiday. Earlier this year, the city council of Minneapolis also adopted the name Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Since 1990, Native American Day has been observed in South Dakota, while Hawaii celebrates Discoverers’ Day, which recognizes Polynesian explorers.
In 1994, a United Nations General Assembly resolution declared the International Day of the World’s Indigenous People that is celebrated on August 9.
Happy Indigenous Peoples' Day!
