by Grace Carr
Columbus, Ohio canceled the holiday for which it’s named, marking the first time the city will not celebrate its namesake Christopher Columbus.
The city canceled the Monday holiday so that it can celebrate Veteran’s Day in November, claiming that it does not have enough money to allow federal employees to take off both Columbus Day and Veteran’s Day, according to USA Today.
“We have a number of veterans who work for the city, and there are so many here in Columbus,” Mayor Andrew Ginther spokesperson Robin Davis said. “We thought it was important to honor them with that day off.”
The day is not being replaced with Indigenous Peoples Day, according to Davis.
“Indigenous Peoples Day” began in 2016 when Vermont first established the holiday to celebrate Native Americans and protest Columbus Day.
The cancelation of the holiday comes after a number of other cities across the country have ceased celebrating the Italian explorer’s ventures to instead honor the Native Americans who inhabited the lands Columbus discovered. Columbus first discovered the Americas in 1492, issuing in a new era of transatlantic exploration.
“On Columbus Day, we commemorate the achievements of this skilled Italian explorer and recognize his courage, will power, and ambition — all values we cherish as Americans,” President Donald Trump said in a Saturday press release.
San Francisco, Cincinnati, Los Angeles, Seattle, Phoenix and Denver have replaced Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day or Native American Day. Whole states, including Vermont, Oregon, Minnesota, South Dakota and Alaska, have also stopped celebrating the federal holiday.
Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine did not respond to The Daily Caller news Foundation’s request for comment.
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