Honoring The American Originals

Columbus Holiday To Be Renamed Native American Day, October 14, 2020

The Prince George's County Council enacted and County Executive Angela Alsobrooks signed Council Bill 8 2019 (CB-8-2019), which designates the second Monday in October as Native American Day instead of the current observation of Columbus Day.

The bill will go into effect beginning in 2020, making October 14, 2019 the last Columbus Day to be recognized by the Prince George's County Government.

 According to Prince George's County's legislative and zoning information system (LZIS), CB-8-2019 was enacted by the County Council Sept. 10 and signed by the County Executive on Sept. 23.

 Council Member At-Large Mel Franklin, the bill's lead proposer, released the following statement:

 “The native and indigenous peoples of Prince George's County and the United States of America have contributed to every element of the rich fabric of history and culture in our communities. Whether the Piscataway-Conoy tribe here in Prince George's County or the many Native American tribes indigenous to every region of our nation, recognizing their place as the 'First Americans' is long overdue. Changing Columbus Day to Native American Day will not right many of the wrongs that our indigenous families have experienced throughout history, but it is an important step forward that will act as a catalyst to better educate our youth and our families about the powerful legacy that Native Americans have contributed to the greatness of America.”