Newton residents will discuss changing Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples’ Day at a public hearing on Oct. 8, after the City Council concluded on Sept. 21 that the community should have a chance to weigh in. Ward 6 Councilor-at-Large Victoria Danberg and Ward 2 Councilor Emily Norton first brought this issue to the table in 2019.

Motivated by the anti-racism movements in the past decade, Danberg and Norton said they proposed this issue to bring more awareness to the historical injustices and unfair treatment Indigenous people have had to face. Norton said that councilors and the public voiced both support and backlash, both when the issue was first brought up and now.