Maine becomes the latest state to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples' Day

https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/26/politics/maine-indigenous-peoples-day-columbus-day/index.html

Maine becomes the latest state to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples' Day

By Jamie Ehrlich, CNN

Updated 9:41 PM ET, Fri April 26, 2019

Washington (CNN) — The state of Maine officially replaced Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples' Day on Friday, joining a growing list of states that are changing the name of the holiday to honor Native American communities.

Maine Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, signed the legislation into law at a ceremony at the Maine State House and said she wants the state to come to grips with the more controversial parts of the American past.

"Our history is by no means perfect. But, for too long, it has been written and presented in a way that fails to acknowledge our shortcomings," Mills said in a statement.

"There is power in a name and in who we choose to honor. Today, we take another step in healing the divisions of the past, in fostering inclusiveness, in telling a fuller, deeper history, and in bringing the State and Maine's tribal communities together to build a future shaped by mutual trust and respect."