Durham considers changing Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples' Day
The town of Durham is considering a resolution that would change the name of Columbus Day.
Instead, residents would celebrate the Age of Exploration and Indigenous Peoples' Day on the second Monday in October.
The day would recognize both European exploration, including Christopher Columbus, and the contributions and struggles of the indigenous people who lived in Durham long before European settlers.
The debate started at the Durham town hall Monday night, but a decision was not reached.
“I question whether the council should spend time on an issue of this nature,” Durham resident Scott Mitchell said.
Supporters said Durham is built on the homeland of indigenous people who helped colonists.
The resolution says the holiday name change would reflect that along with offenses against and ongoing struggles of indigenous people.
“What this resolution says is that we as a community want to look at our history more holistically,” resident Nancy Lambert said."
But not everyone agrees with the change.
"Columbus Day is not a day to honor Christopher Columbus. It's a day to reflect on the impact he made, both good and bad," Daniel Day said.
"It is not a question of rewriting history. It's being honest about the past," Marty Lee said.
If Durham changes the name of Columbus Day, town officials said they believe Durham would be the first town in the state to establish an Indigenous Peoples' Day.
Supporters said they hope this will encourage other towns -- and even the state -- to follow suit.
The town council will take the proposal up again next week.