The state’s largest city will now mark the second Monday in October as Indigenous People’s Day — joining a growing list of cities and towns to recognize native cultures on Columbus Day. The City Council voted unanimously Monday to use the date of the federal holiday as a day to honor the native peoples, including those who lived in North America long before it was colonized by Europeans. The new ordinance encourages local businesses and other public bodies to do the same.

Before voting the City Council heard impassioned arguments both for and against the proposal. Opponents contended that the change erases Italian-American history, while supporters said that the holiday whitewashes Christopher Columbus’ role in the mass killing of native peoples.