Governor Ralph Northam announced Friday that Virginia will officially recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day on Monday, October 12, joining the growing number of states and cities that have shifted away from observing Columbus Day.

“As a country and as a commonwealth, we have too often failed to live up to our commitments with those who were the first stewards of the lands we now call Virginia — and they have suffered historic injustices as a result,” Northam said in a video message on Friday. “Indigenous Peoples’ Day celebrates the resilience of our tribal communities and promotes reconciliation, healing, and continued friendship with Virginia’s Indian tribes.”

In 2017, Charlottesville and Falls Church became the first jurisdictions in the commonwealth to observe Indigenous Peoples’ Day, followed by Alexandria and Richmond in 2019. In Maryland, Baltimore City and counties including Howard and Montgomery have switched to celebrating Indigenous Peoples’ Day, while Prince George’s celebrates Native American Day.

In the District last year, the Council voted to change the holiday’s name for 2019. (Though Chairman Phil Mendelson and former Councilmember Jack Evans abstained from the vote.) A bill to make the change permanent is still under Council review.

Nationally, Columbus Day has been a federal holiday on the second Monday of October since 1934, but local governments can opt in or out of celebrating it — or replace the name and objective for the day. A spokesperson for the governor’s office said in an email that the General Assembly would need to pass legislation to make Indigenous People’s Day a state holiday for it to be a permanent change. (Such a bill was introduced during the last session, but it wasn’t passed.)

Since the 1970s, advocates have pushed back on the narrative of Christopher Columbus as a “hero,” bringing to light his horrific treatment of indigenous peoples, and calling for widespread recognition of Native American culture and history. The first Indigenous Peoples’ Day in the U.S. was recognized in Berkeley, California, in 1992.

“In making this proclamation, we pay tribute to the culture, history, and many contributions of Virginia Indians and recommit to cultivating strong government-to-government partnerships that are grounded in mutual trust and respect,” Northam said during his announcement.

Virginia is home to 11 state-recognized Indian tribes, seven of which are federally recognized. Last year, the Chickahominy Tribe acquired 105 acres of land in Charles County that belonged to their ancestors, and Northam signed a land trust agreement with the Mattaponi Indian Tribe — what the governor’s office called “two significant actions in rectifying the past.”

Chief W. Frank Adams of the Upper Mattaponi Indian Tribe said in the governor’s release of Friday’s declaration, “This is a long overdue honor for all tribes and native people of Virginia and I applaud Governor Northam for being the leader of this movement. After more than 400 hundred years of suffering, I hope this leads to other states and the federal government will get behind this movement.”

This story has been updated with information about the legislation needed to make Indigenous Peoples Day a permanent state holiday.