Minnesota Lawmakers Want Columbus Statue Re-Engraved

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A Minnesota Capitol mall statute honoring explorer Christopher Columbus is the target of new legislation that seeks to recast his role.

A bill introduced Wednesday by more than a dozen lawmakers would order an architecture board to change the engraving on the 86-year-old statue's pedestal. It would read "Christopher Columbus Landed In America" instead of the current "Christopher Columbus Discoverer of America."

The legislative sponsors are mostly Democrats but there is one Republican on the bill, a retired history teacher.

Columbus's role has long been a source of cultural and historical friction, including whether he should be credited with discovering America. His exploration of the Americas didn't bring him to the North American mainland.

Minneapolis recently converted the Columbus Day holiday into Indigenous Peoples Day. A Senate bill due for introduction Thursday would make the switch statewide.