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City of Tulsa to Begin Recognizing Native American Day

From now on, the City of Tulsa will celebrate the second Monday of October as Native American Day.

City councilors unanimously approved a resolution to do so. Some might remember it as Columbus Day.

"It's more of re-educating the truth that there were Native Americans already in place before Columbus and that Columbus did not actually discover America," said Greater Tulsa Area Indian Affairs Commission Chair Sammy Haynes.

The commission has been trying to get the city to make the change for several years. The resolution notes the social contributions and military service of roughly 30,000Native Americans living in the City of Tulsa, which is built on lands first inhabited by their ancestors.

Many cities and states already observe Indigenous Peoples Day or Native American Day rather than Columbus Day.

"We should have been one of the first cities in the country to do this," Bynum said. "Doing it now, I think, is entirely appropriate."

Though she voted for the resolution, Councilor Connie Dodson said the change raises a question for her.

"Do we have one for the African-American and their historical significance here and to celebrate some of the major impacts they've had, as well as the Mexican population that was here many, many, many, many years ago, before there were immigration issues?" Dodson said.

Bynum said such plans are not in the works.

Matt Trotter joined KWGS as a reporter in 2013. Before coming to Public Radio Tulsa, he was the investigative producer at KJRH. His freelance work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times and on MSNBC and CNN.