Oct. 11 is Columbus Day in the city of Geneva and across the country. It’s also now Indigenous Peoples’ Day in Geneva — at least according to a resolution read at Wednesday night’s City Council meeting. Ward 5 Councilor Laura Salamendra read the proclamation at the request of the Community Education for Transformation during her portion of council reports. It was not listed as an agenda item.

The proclamation has been scorned by members of the city’s Italian-American community, who say it’s unfair to blame the Italian explorer for the misdeeds against Indigenous people of the Americas that followed his landing in what is now the Bahamas on Oct. 12, 1492.