Reports: Indiana city renames Columbus Day, Good Friday

Two holidays are getting new names in an Indiana city as part of an effort to promote inclusiveness.

Fox 59, WXIN-TV, reports that Columbus Day will now be known as Fall Holiday, and Good Friday will be called Spring Holiday in Bloomington. The change is part of an effort from Bloomington Mayor John Hamilton to "better reflect cultural sensitivity in the workplace," the news station reports.

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"As a mayor (I am) in charge of government," Hamilton told WXIN-TV. "We do not set religious policies, we are not supposed to be part of religion and we are just trying to make sure that our government is open to all people and inclusive."

The BBC reports Bloomington city employees get paid time off for Columbus Day and Good Friday. Columbus Day is the second Monday in October and is a federal holiday. It celebrates Italian explorer Christopher Columbus' arrival to the Americas on Oct. 12, 1492.

Good Friday is a Christian holiday commemorating the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ. It comes two days before Easter Sunday.

Bloomington, Indiana, renamed Columbus Day and Good Friday to Fall Holiday and Spring Holiday. Click through the slideshow to see protests over Columbus Day.

Bloomington, Indiana, renamed Columbus Day and Good Friday to Fall Holiday and Spring Holiday. Click through the slideshow to see protests over Columbus Day. Photo: Hutchyb/Getty Images Photo: Hutchyb/Getty Images Image 1 of / 26 Caption Close Reports: Indiana city renames Columbus Day, Good Friday 1 / 26 Back to Gallery

For the past few years, there has been a movement to rename Columbus Day Indigenous Peoples Day. Advocates argue switching the name celebrates Native Americans and indigenous people rather than Columbus, who's viewed by some as a colonizer and destroyer of native cultures.

In September, Native Americans asked the Houston City Council to make the switch to Indigenous Peoples Day. Some City Council members were sympathetic to the idea, but the council ultimately declined to make the switch.

Seattle, Minneapolis and Berkeley, California, are among cities that celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day.