DETROIT, Mich. (WXYZ) — The second Monday in October is traditionally marked as Columbus Day in the U.S.
“It’s just what we were taught. We were taught that he quote, unquote, discovered America," Hadassah Greensky said.
Greensky is hoping to continue to shift the focus of the day.
"There were people already here, and we’re still here, we’re still surviving," Greensky said.
This conversation sparked a few years ago and in 2021, President Joe Biden signed a proclamation to commemorate Indigenous Peoples' Day.
Now, more than a dozen states recognize it as a holiday.
Greensky and several others in Detroit honored the day with a prayer walk.
“We’re finally being recognized as a people," Yvonne Moore said. She was one of the dozens of people participating.
“It’s doing, it’s being. That’s the best way we can be informed," said Hil Strickland.
He is not part of an Indigenous tribe, but he has been working with several in the area for more than two decades.
“We have become fully aware of the dynamic of what’s going on and what has been going on and the direction we feel we need to be headed,” Strickland said.
Everyone we spoke with believes that direction is forward but the past shouldn't be forgotten.
“Even though we went through cultural and physical genocide and assimilation— that we’re still here, we’re still practicing our ways and still engaging in ceremony and community,” Greensky said.
