NEW YORK (AP) — The New York City public school system has designated Oct. 11 as Italian Heritage Day/Indigenous People’s Day. The renaming of Columbus Day is an effort to please both Italian Americans who celebrate Christopher Columbus and racial justice advocates who accuse him of genocide. Mayor Bill de Blasio said Wednesday that turning Columbus Day into a day to honor both Italian American heritage and Indigenous peoples is “a good way forward.” Gov. Andrew Cuomo disagreed, saying it was insulting to force the two groups to share a holiday.
Photo: FILE – In this Monday, Oct. 10, 2011, file photo, Ferntree, of Duncan, British Columbia, a member of the Cowichan Tribes, prays during a Native American protest against Columbus Day in Seattle. The New York City public school system has designated Oct. 11 as Italian Heritage Day/Indigenous People’s Day, in an effort to please both Italian Americans who celebrate Christopher Columbus and racial justice advocates who accuse him of genocide. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)
