Illinois gubernatorial candidate Ameya Pawar is calling for a law to rename Christopher Columbus Day as Indigenous Peoples' Day.
Pawar, a Chicago alderman running for the Democratic nomination in the Illinois' governor's race, made the proposal on his Twitter account Wednesday:
"This is about acknowledging the contributions indigenous people have made to our country and celebrating the cultural history of Native Americans living in Illinois," Pawar told the Chicago Tribune in a statement.
The movement to change Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples' Day began in Berkeley, California in the early 1990's. Other states, including Vermont, have adopted the holiday, while states like Oklahoma celebrate "Native American Day" on Oct. 12 every year.
The city of Evanston also celebrates the holiday after passing a bill to change the designation in 2016.
