BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) — Virginia Tech will celebrate indigenous people of the Americas on a day typically reserved for observing the accomplishments of Christopher Columbus.
The Roanoke Times reports President Tim Sands approved Monday a resolution passed by the University Council to observe the day at Tech.
Indigenous Peoples’ Day at Virginia Tech will be celebrated Oct. 14 this year. The staff holiday will show up on the university’s academic calendar, though there will still be classes. Columbus Day remains a state holiday.
The change in holiday resolution originated last year with Tech’s Commission on Equal Opportunity and Diversity after it was pushed by the student organization Native at Virginia Tech.
Student Jason Chavez says the new holiday designation is a major incremental victory and that celebrating Columbus is “very offensive.”
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Information from: The Roanoke Times, http://www.roanoke.com
