From Popular Resistance by Victoria Cavaliere
The Seattle City Council unanimously voted on Monday to redesignate the federal Columbus Day holiday as Indigenous Peoples’ Day to reflect that Native Americans were living on the continent before Christopher Columbus’ 15th Century arrival.
Mayor Ed Murray was expected to swiftly sign the measure, making Seattle the second major U.S. city after Minneapolis to mark Indigenous Peoples’ Day on the second Monday in October, the same day as Columbus Day.
The change will take effect for the upcoming October 13 holiday, the city council said.
The legislation acknowledges that Native Americans were already living in the Americas before Columbus’ arrival and says Seattle, named after a Native American tribal chief, was built atop indigenous peoples’ homes.
“Nobody discovered Seattle, Washington,” Quinault Nation President Fawn Sharp told the council. “This action will allow us to bring into future and present a day honoring our rich history.”