Portland Eliminates Columbus Day, Adopts ‘Indigenous Peoples’ Day’

First Bangor, then Orono, now Portland.

Another Maine city has abandoned Columbus Day in favor of a new observance, "Indigenous Peoples' Day."

The Portland City Council voted unanimously on Monday night to abolish the old holiday in the city, and replace it with an observance that many hope will more closely honor our true history.

According to WGME 13, city councilors said that they were considering the name change in an effort to highlight the culture and lives of the indigenous people who lived here in North America before it was colonized by Western Europeans like Columbus.

Columbus Day was adopted by Congress as a federal holiday in 1937, and still remains a national holiday in the United States. The Portland city council joins hundreds of other communities all over the US, including several here in Maine, who have opted to replace the observance with other celebrations.