Cook County To Hold Hearing On Changing Columbus Day Name

COOK COUNTY, IL — The county will hold a public hearing next week to gain input on whether residents want to see Columbus Day renamed to Indigenous Peoples' Day. A group spearheading the initiative held a virtual rally Monday to explain the reasons for the proposed change, citing Christopher Columbus's exploitation of Native Americans.

Similar efforts have been made in Chicago and at the state level, but none have managed to gain as much traction as the Indigenous Peoples' Day Coalition.

"It is well past time that we recognize as a county ... the failures and ills of the real history of this country," said Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson during the rally. "As long as we are celebrating and using tax dollars to give people the day off to honor ... someone like Christopher Columbus, that’s a failure of our political system," he said.

The resolution was introduced in December. Johnson was one of the chief sponsors of the movement, but the resolution still needs nine votes to pass.

Some Italian Americans have spoken out against the measure, saying the removal of Christopher Columbus' accolades would leave their community without recognition or representation.

"I just want to stress that we have no problem with Indigenous People’s Day," said Louis Rago, president of the Italian American Human Relations Foundation. "I just don't know why this has to go on the back of Christopher Columbus," Rago said.

Rago said Columbus is being misunderstood through a "revisionist history" lens, meaning Columbus' actions are being re-written out of context.

Despite criticisms, members of the Indigenous Peoples' Day Coalition seem confident the proposal will pass.

"We think the time is now, and the tide is turning," said Les Begay, founder of the coalition. "This is not anti-Italian, it's anti-Columbus."

The county will hold the public hearing on May 24 at 2:30 p.m. A vote on the matter will likely be scheduled for June.