Spurred by national calls for racial equity, communities across the U.S. have taken a deeper look at Christopher Columbus’ legacy in recent years — pairing or replacing it with Indigenous Peoples Day.

Both Italian Americans and Indigenous communities are commemorating their cultures from different approaches.

Columbus Day began as a celebration of Italian immigrants who faced persecution across the states.

“We celebrate our heritage first and then we celebrate Christopher Columbus when he came here to discover America,” the president of the Italian Civic League, Quintino DiCesare, said. “When he came here he discovered a new land, and today they do the same thing to go to the moon, to Mars.”

But for many, the day is a symbol of the colonization and oppression of Indigenous communities.

“When I was a little girl growing up, we celebrated Columbus Day, which I did not care for in the least, except for the day off,” Tonawanda Onondowaga member Trish Corcoran said. “I liked the day off, but I don't know how an Italian could support him. He was brutal to his men on the ship. He was brutal to the Taíno people and all the Indigenous people that he came in contact with.”

Two years ago, President Joe Biden issued the first presidential proclamation of “Indigenous Peoples Day,” the most significant boost yet to efforts to refocus the federal holiday celebrating Columbus.

Both Corcoran and DiCesare reflect on the holiday from different points of view.

“It wasn't just that he gave them diseases or that he enslaved them or that he sold them or took them or killed them,” Corcoran said. “I can't fathom that a human being with a heart could truly support him as being somebody that you should look up to as a hero.”

“A lot of people hate Christopher Columbus, they say he was bad [and that] he was a criminal,” DiCesare said. “[They say] he was this [or] he was that. Today we have the same problem with migrants. Some people like it, some people want it [and] some people they don’t want it.”

DiCesare and Corcoran were inspired to be involved with their communities in Rochester, as DiCesare has taken on the role of president of the Italian Civic League and Corcoran becoming an educator and advocate for the Indigenous People’s Day Committee.

“We love Italy because I came from there in my 20s,” DiCesare said. “It was not too nice and not too easy -- the language, the new things. Then when you come here you start to build up your family.”

“My mother was an educator and she was very much into social justice,” Corcoran said. “And then also other wonderful women that I've known that I've been inspired by the things that they've done in the community and the changes that they've made and the people they have helped.”

Acknowledging both the celebration of Christopher Columbus and Indigenous People’s Day, both groups continue to highlight their culture and heritage from their different approaches.

“People cling things because of tradition, people don’t like change very much,” Corcoran said. “There’s so many great Italians to celebrate, he’s just not the one to celebrate so I’m glad the change is coming.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.