The debate over Columbus Day erupted anew at a Southampton school district board meeting as members of the Shinnecock Indian Nation faced off against pro-Columbus advocates from across Long Island who sought to reverse a district decision to rename the holiday on its calendar.
In the end, the school board in a split vote decided Tuesday night to maintain the designation of Oct. 14 as “Indigenous Peoples Day/Italian Heritage Day,” after a fierce public comment session in which explorer Christopher Columbus was alternately likened to Hitler and defended as “a giant.”
