Board votes to rename Columbus Park to Indigenous Peoples' Park

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- The Board of Supervisors voted (13-3) to rename Columbus Park to Indigenous Peoples' Park on Thursday, establishing the first Milwaukee County park honoring Native American communities indigenous to Wisconsin and Milwaukee.

Supervisor Felesia Martin proposed the measure.

“Renaming this park is one small thing we can do to acknowledge and show respect to the indigenous people. Several indigenous groups called Milwaukee County home long before Europeans colonized this area, including the Menominee, Fox, Mascouten, Sauk, Potawatomi, Ojibwe, and Ho-Chunk tribes. By naming this public park "Indigenous Peoples' Park," we are honoring all Native American People, because we want to uphold our community value that all people should be equally respected,” said Supervisor Martin.

Supervisor Martin is working to have signage displaying the new name installed by the second Monday in November, which is recognized as Indigenous People's Day by Milwaukee County.