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A6 U.S. NEWS
Monday 8 october 2018
No Columbus Day in Columbus: City to honor veterans instead

By JULIE CARR SMYTH A similar effort twice failed
Associated Press in Cincinnati before a vote
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Wednesday finally recog-
The largest city named for nized Columbus Day as
Christopher Columbus has the renamed Indigenous
called off its observance Peoples Day. It became
of the divisive holiday that the second Ohio city to
honors the explorer, mak- do so, after the liberal col-
ing a savvy move to tie the lege town of Oberlin in
switch to a politically safe 2017. Cleveland, which has
demographic: veterans. a large Italian-American
Ohio's capital city, popula- population, continues to
tion 860,000, will be open host a major Columbus Day
for business Monday after parade.
observing Columbus Day Organizers of the 39-year-
probably "for as long as it old Columbus Italian Fes-
had been in existence," tival, traditionally held on
said Robin Davis, a spokes- Columbus Day weekend,
woman for Democratic were not given advance
Mayor Andrew Ginther. City notice of the city's deci-
offices will close instead on sion, said board member
Veterans Day, which falls Joseph Contino.
on Nov. 12 this year. "It's very in vogue political-
Native Americans and al- ly right now to do that. It's
lied groups have long used not PC for me to say any-
Columbus Day to elevate thing against indigenous
issues of concern to them. peoples," he said. "You can
That includes a peaceful kick Christians, you can kick
protest of prayers, speech- Catholics. That's the mes-
es and traditional singing in sage that it sends to us and
2016 at Columbus City Hall In this March 15, 2004, file photo, a woman runs the Franklinton floodwall next to the Scioto River that's what it feels like; we're
in Columbus, Ohio. The largest city named for Christopher Columbus has called off its observance
— underneath the statue of the holiday named for the explorer. Offices in Columbus, Ohio, will remain open Monday, Oct. Europeans and we lop Indi-
of the explorer that sits out 8, 2018, and close on Veterans Day instead. ans' heads off. Which is just
front — to protest the Dako- Associated Press not true."
ta Access Pipeline and to Contino said he viewed the
urge Ohio to support more serving the holiday was not lumbus Day in favor of In- of colonialism, Davis said. decision on the holiday as
renewable energy. triggered by the national digenous Peoples Day as a Columbus Day marks the a missed opportunity.
The decision to stop ob- movement to abolish Co- way of recognizing victims Italian explorer's arrival in "If you're mayor of a city
the Americas on Oct. 12, and its name is Columbus,
1492. why wouldn't you capitalize
"We have a number of on that? Use it to unite ev-
veterans who work for the erybody," he said. "Use this
city, and there are so many day to celebrate the entire
here in Columbus," Davis culture, celebrate Italians
said. "We thought it was and indigenous both."
important to honor them Tyrone Smith, director of
with that day off." And, she the Native American Indi-
said, the city doesn't have an Center of Central Ohio,
the budget to give its 8,500 said the city's decision is
employees both days off, another step in embracing
she said. its growing diversity.
Columbus made its an- "The past is the past. It may
nouncement Thursday in not be pretty at times, but
a two-paragraph news we cannot hold what hap-
release focused on the pened back then against
impact on trash pickup today's society, regardless
and parking enforcement their bloodline," he said.
schedules. In that way, it "The fact that the city of
avoided much of the con- Columbus is taking action
sternation that has taken is a victory for everyone."q
place elsewhere around
the holiday.
An attempt in Akron to re-
name the holiday grew
ugly last year, dividing the
all-Democratic city coun-
cil along racial lines. Five
black members voted to
rename the holiday and
eight white members voted
not to, keeping the holiday
in place.