by Daniel Victor

Most of the United States knows the second Monday of October, a federal holiday since 1934, as Columbus Day. Because of a national debate about whetherChristopher Columbus, the Italian explorer who landed on American shores, is worthy of celebration, Brown University has instead called the holiday Fall Weekend since 2009.

On Tuesday, however, the university faculty renamed the holiday once again — this time to Indigenous People's Day. "In discussions prior to the vote, faculty expressed their support for the name change as an opportunity to show support for Native Americans on our campus and beyond, and to celebrate Native American culture and history," Thomas Roberts, a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, said in a statement.

Read more

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/