Los Angeles celebrated its first official Indigenous Peoples Day after the city council voted last year to eliminate Columbus Day and replace it with the holiday that celebrates the Indigenous peoples of America and commemorates their shared history and culture.
Columbus day has long been criticized over some historians' conclusion that he committed acts of brutality on native people he encountered and was involved in slave trading.
Member of the Wyandotte Nation and Councilman, Mitch O'Farrell, led the effort on the city council to replace Columbus Day and called it an important step to "eliminate the false narrative that Christopher Columbus discovered America. "
The inaugural holiday will host a number of events in downtown's Civic Center, including a 5k run, parade of nations, sunrise ceremony, Native American powwow, panel sessions, a fashion show and live music.
The concert in Grand Park includes performances by The Black Eyed Peas and Native American rock group Redbone.
At Grand Park, there is a statue of Christopher Columbus that O'Farrell said he is working on getting removed.
"Out of public view, for that statue, is where it's at," he said.
The event is supposedly one of the largest Indigenous Peoples Day events in the country.
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