Columbus Day: What's in a Name

BALTIMORE (WJZ)-- The Baltimore City Council will consider joining other cities across the country in renaming Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day.

The shift from honoring the Italian explorer to honoring the people inhabiting the lands he explored has stirred debate.

It's the age old question - what's in a name?

The Columbus Piazza near Little Italy not only honors the Italian explorer, it is a celebration of Italian American heritage.

Columbus Day became a national holiday in 1937, but some cities have changed it to Indigenous Peoples Day in honor of the native inhabitants of the lands Columbus explored.

Students are asking the Baltimore City Council to do the same.

"He really didn't discover America. There were millions of people here before him," said City Neighbors Charter School student Eden Dawit.

"All the textbooks say we're celebrating him for finding America, but all that's just a lie, why celebrate a lie," said student Bria Smith.

"And I feel strongly that Columbus Day should be replaced by Indigenous Peoples Day," said Elizabeth Olu-Ajayi.

Baltimore's Columbus Day Parade Chairman Al Massa says its about more than the name. It is about Italian heritage.

"Why not have Indigenous Peoples Day on another day other than Columbus Day? That's our take on it. We've been celebrating Columbus in the city of Baltimore since 1890. That's 126 years. And for it to come to an abrupt stop. It just does not make sense," said Massa.

"I don't think we really want to take their day away, I mean they're able to celebrate their heritage in so many other ways through cluture and music and food and other things like that," said Audrey Kovacevich.

"We can continue and continue on celebrating this thing but actually for the right reason," said Shawn Gray.

The question will be decided next month. The final council vote is scheduled for December 5.

The very first Columbus Day celebration recorded was in 1792 in New York to honor Italian American heritage.