Baltimore City Council Approves Renaming Columbus Day To Indigenous Peoples' Day
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- The Baltimore City Council passed a bill Monday that would change the name of Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples' Day.
The bill heads to Mayor Bernard C. "Jack" Young for a signature, which councilmembers hope will happen before the holiday next week.
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Members of the "Indigenous Strong" advocacy group rallied outside City Hall Monday to show their support for the legislation.
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The council sped up the legislative process in an effort to get the bill passed in order to take effect for this year's holiday. A similar bill to rename Columbus Day was unsuccessful four years ago.
Baltimore joins a growing list of communities making the change, including Howard County, which announced its plans last month to rename the holiday.
Earlier this year, protesters ripped down a statue of Christopher Columbus in Little Italy and threw it into the Inner Harbor.