President Biden just proclaimed October 11th Indigenous People's Day.

But why is it also federally recognized as Columbus Day?

Today we'll get into the history and meet one of the leaders behind the movement to change the holiday's focus in the future.

I'm Bethany Van Delft. It's October 11th, and this is the 10 News.

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

You've probably heard the rhyme.

In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue.

300 years later, the first documented celebration of his voyage took place in New York City.

Columbus Day became an official U.S. holiday in 1937 and was observed on the second Monday in October starting in 1972.

But since its creation, Native Americans have objected to the

holiday because Columbus didn't discover America and because of the horrific mistreatment of the

indigenous people he encountered when he arrived. Generations of Native activists and allies

speaking out and more and more awareness of the true

histories of the original inhabitants of this land has created a movement to replace Columbus Day

with Indigenous People's Day.

Today there are seven states that officially celebrate Indigenous People's Day and seven more states plus Washington, D.C., observe the holiday through proclamations, and two states celebrate both Columbus and Native American Heritage on the same day.

On Friday, October 8th, President Biden issued a proclamation declaring October 11th as Indigenous People's Day.

This is the first time a U.S. President has acknowledged the importance of honoring America's

indigenous communities and recognizing the impact they continue to have on this country.

In order to learn more about the significance of celebrating Indigenous People's Day,

correspondent Pamela Kirkland spoke with Matoui Monroe, a leader of the United American Indians of New England.

Matoui, can you talk about the significance of replacing Columbus Day with Indigenous People's Day?

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