Officials in a Vermont town have approved a public vote on celebrating Indigenous People's Day, instead of Columbus Day. The Valley News reports Hartford's Selectboard unanimously approved the vote, scheduled for Town Meeting Day in March 2018.

Selectboard members were divided on the issue during a meeting last week, with one questioning the historical facts surrounding Christopher Columbus. Hartford resident Mike Eric Chatterjee countered the Selectman, saying Columbus' atrocities against Native Americans were recorded in his own diaries. The towns of Brattleboro and Marlboro both celebrate Indigenous People's Day.