>> TODAY IS COLUMBUS DAY, STILLA CONTROVERSIAL HOLIDAY TOO MANY.S ALSO INDIGENOUS PEOPLES DAY.

SOE ORGANIZATIONS AND GOVERNMENTS ARE CHANGING HOW THEY OBSERVE THE HOLIDAY, IF AT ALL, WHILE MANY STILL GATHER FOR THE ANNUAL COLUMBUS DAY PARADE.

"CHO TONIGHT"'S JoANNE HERNANDEZ HAS HAS THE STORY.

>> Reporter: THERE WERE CHEERS AS HUNDREDS GATHERED FOR CHICAGO'S 70th ANNUAL COLUMBUS Y PARADE DOWNTOWN.

>> IT'S MY ITALIAN HERITAGE AND AND I LOVE THE PARADE, AND SEE THE BANDS.

>> Reporter: THE JOINT CIVIC COE OF ITALIAN AMERICANS ORGANIZED THE PARADE, WITH MORE THAN 100 FLOATS, BANDS, AND MARCHERS TRAVELING DOWN STATE STREET, A CELEBRATION OF CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS'S VOYAGE TO THE AMERICAS AND THE ITALIAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY.

>> WE HAVE SUCH GREAT DIVERSITY DIVERSITY IN AMERICA TO COME AND CELEBRATE THEIR CULTURE WITH US.

THAT'S THE LEGACY OF CS OF COLUMBUS IN THIS NATION OF IMMIGRANTS.

>> Reporter: LEWIS BRONCO HAS BEEN THE GRAND MARSHAL OF THE PARADE SINCE 1972.

>> IT'S A LABOR OF LOVE AND I HAVE MY WHOLE FAMILY INVOLVED.

MY GRANDSON, MY TWO SONS ARE WIH ME TODAY, TOO.

THEY'RE HELPING OUT.

>> Reporter: ALTHOUGH COLUMBUS DAY REMAINS A FEDERAL HOLIDAY, ADVOCATES HAVE PUSHED THE CITY, CITY, COUNTY, AND STATE TO OFFIY REPLACE THE HOLIDAY WITH INDIGENOUS PEOPLES DAY.

>> THIS IS OUR LAND PART OF THE THE LAND YOU ARE STANDING ON TODAY'S NATIVE LAND.

SO IT'S IMPORTANT TO RECOGNIZE NATIVE PEOPLE WERE HERE AND WE ARE STILL HERE.

>> Reporter: DOWN IN POTTAWATOME PARK AND ROGERS PARK THE INDIGES PEOPLES THEY COALITION GATHERS ALONGSIDE LOCAL AND STATE OFFICIALS TO PUSH FOR THE CHANG.

THE CHANGE.

>> WE TALK ABOUT SOCIETIES THAT THAT LIVED HERE FOR HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS AND THOUSANDS OF YEARS.

THE OJIBWAY, THE MIAMI AND ALL OF THE NATIVE AMERICANS THAT UNFORTUNATELY SO MANY OF US ARE NOT TAUGHT ABOUT IN OUR SCHOOLS.

IT'S IMPORTANT TO TALK TALK ABOUT THAT HISTORY ERASURE.

IT'S IMPORTANT TO TALK TO TALK ABOUT THAT HISTORY OF PHYSICAL VIOLENCE AND SYSTEMIC VIOLENCE THAT STILL REARS ITS HD ON THIS COMMUNITY.

>> Reporter: ORGANIZERS SAY CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS IS RESPONSIBLE FOR INDIGENOUS GENOCIDE.

>> IT'S ANTI-COLUMBUS.

IF IT WAS ABOUT ITALIAN PRIDE THAN YOU COULD HAVE ITALIAN AMERICANE DAY AND WE GLADLY SHARE THAT.

WE CANNOT SHARE THE DATE OF COLS OF COLUMBUS, THE ATROCITIES IN HIS NAME.

>> Reporter: STILL, MANY ARE OPD TO REPLACING COLUMBUS DAY, SAYIG THE HOLIDAY IS AN IMPORTANT HISL MARKER FOR ITALIAN AMERICANS.

>> IT WOULD HURT A LOT OF PEOPLE AND IT WOULD HURT-FIRST OF ALL IT WOULD HURT HISTORY BECAUSE THE REASONING IS JUST NOT THERE.

>> Reporter: PHIL CASTELLA AND Y HAVE BEEN COMING TO WATCH THE PARADE FOR MORE THAN 15 YEARS.

>> THIS WAS A TIME IN OUR HISTORY THAT THIS IS HOW THINGS HOW THINGS WERE DONE.

WE DON'T AGREE WITH IT NOW IN TODAY'S WORLD, BUT I BELIEVE THERE IS JUST AS MUCH GOOD THAT CAME OUT OUT OF THAT TIME.

>> Reporter: SEVERAL STATES HAVE STOPPED CELEBRATING COLUMBUS DAY.

LOCALLY, CHICAGO HAS REMOVED THE CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS STATUE FROM GRANT AND ARRIGO PARK.

THE DEBATE OVER WHT OVER WHAT IS RIGHT AND WRONG STILL REMAINS.

>> PEOPLE ALWAYS TALK ABOUT NATIVE AMERICANS LIKE THEY'RE NO LONGER HERE.

THEY STILL ARE