Columbus Day has been renamed by the school system of Connecticut's biggest city as Indigenous Peoples Day.
The Bridgeport school board voted on Tuesday evening to change the name of the holiday. Many cities around the country have made the same change to celebrate the history and contributions of Native American cultures.
The Connecticut Post reports students and staff will still have the day off from school, but no longer in honor of the famed Italian explorer.
NBC Connecticut reached out to the superintendent's office and they confirmed that the board of education voted to rename the holiday.
Board member Kate Rivera said she proposed the change to recognize the people who were in the Americas before Columbus arrived in 1492.
As the U.S. observed Columbus Day on Monday, it was also Indigenous Peoples Day for the first time in cities including Albuquerque, New Mexico; Portland, Oregon; St. Paul, Minnesota; and Olympia, Washington.
