Maine's largest city and a New Hampshire town have voted to recognize the second Monday in October as Indigenous Peoples' Day.
Portland's City Council and town councilors in Durham, New Hampshire, approved the measure Monday, which honors those who lived on the continent before it was colonized by western Europeans rather than Christopher Columbus.
Durham councilors considered calling it "The Age of Exploration and Indigenous Peoples' Day," but then voted to eliminate the first part.
Other Maine communities have voted for a similar change.
Italian-Americans opposed the proposal in Portland. They said Columbus Day is less a celebration about one individual and more a celebration of Italian-American heritage.
The Portland Press Herald reports City Councilor Spencer Thibodeau said the proposal was about including indigenous people in the historical discussion, rather than excluding Italian-Americans.
The effort to honor the day as Indigenous Peoples' Day has been picking up some steam in New England.
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In 2016, Cambridge, Massachusetts, city counselors unanimously voted to rename the holiday.
