Columbus Day renamed Indigenous Peoples Day

Gov. Bill Walker opened the first day of the Alaska Federation of Natives conference in Anchorage by renaming the second Monday in October from Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day.

A proclamation effecting the change states that the idea was first proposed in 1977 by a delegation to the United Nations Conference on Discrimination Against Indigenous Populations in the Americas.

It has since been accepted by cities across the country — the largest is Seattle — and Alaska is the first state to make the change.

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(Juneau Empire file photo)
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Juneau Assembly members, city administrative leaders and other officials gather for the Assembly’s annual retreat where they discuss policy and budget goals for the coming year in the Juneau International Airport’s conference room on Dec. 2, 2023. This year’s retreat is scheduled Saturday at the same location. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)
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A recount of ballots from the Nov. 5 election is observed Wednesday morning by Alaska Division of Elections officials and participants in a challenge to the outcome of a measure to repeal ranked choice voting in the state. The recount at the division director’s office in Juneau began Tuesday and is expected to last up to 10 days. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
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Rose Burke, 9, a fourth-grade student from Kenai, flips the switch to illuminate the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree during a ceremony Tuesday night in Washington, D.C., as U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson watches next to her. (Screenshot from C-SPAN broadcast)
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An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter aircrew conducts an on-scene search for five missing people after the fishing vessel Wind Walker was reported to have capsized near Courverden Point Sunday. The combined searches covered over 108 square nautical miles within a span of 24 hours. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Cmdr. Paul Johansen)
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Traffic navigates a busy intersection covered with ice and slush on Monday afternoon. (Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire file photo)
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Three cruise ships are docked along Juneau’s waterfront on the evening on May 10, 2023, as a Princess cruise ship on the right is departing the capital city. A “banner” year for tourism in 2023, when a record 1.65 million cruise passengers visited the state, lifted workers’ average wages in the Southeast region, the state Department of Labor and Workforce Development reported. (Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
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Jeff Campbell moves a Santa figurine into the front yard of his annual Christmas-themed holiday house on West 11th Street in the downtown neighborhood known as The Flats on Thursday, Nov. 28. Campbell begins the decorating after removing Halloween fare and usually turns on the lights in December. Campbell has created this masterpiece annually for over 30 years. Besides Santas, the display includes candy canes, drummer boys, nativity scenes, reindeer and Disney and Winnie the Pooh characters and some of his own creations. He also has thousands of lights and speakers wired to play Christmas music and his electricity bill doubles over the display’s longevity. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Empire)
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Marzena Whitmore (elf) and Dale Hudson (Santa), pose for a photo with Benny Orvin (partially obscured), 6, and his siblings Lilly, 4, and Remi, 2, taken by their mother Alex as their father Randy watches during last year’s Gallery Walk in downtown Juneau on Friday, Dec. 1, 2023. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)
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