Posted on 10/13/2020 12:24:52 AM PDT by nickcarraway
It’s unfortunate that this year’s Columbus Day Parade was canceled because of the pandemic. But it’s even more unfortunate that in recent years, an anti-Columbus movement has risen up attempting to eradicate history.
Columbus Day is not a day to honor an individual, but rather a day to remember a courageous voyage, the catalyst that initiated over 500 years of immigration to the Americas by people from every corner of the Earth, all of whom were seeking better lives for their families.
It’s also unfair to apply today’s political norms to a man who lived 500 years ago. If modern norms were applied to all the historical figures we respect and hold dear, there would be a strong argument to denigrate some of the most important figures in American history. And especially this year, in the midst of racial and political conflict that is tearing our nation apart, I hope our country can find better ways to tell the full story instead of eliminating it altogether.
I consider attempts to cover, vandalize or remove Columbus statues, paintings and other memorials to be ethnic slurs. I believe that Christopher Columbus represents the important values of risk and discovery that are at the heart of the American dream.
I know there is growing support for establishing Indigenous People’s Day as an alternative to Columbus Day. I don’t oppose such a holiday, because Native Americans, like Italian Americans, have every right to celebrate and educate others about their history and culture.
Celebrating Columbus Day doesn’t detract from indigenous peoples’ ability to celebrate their legacy, history and heritage or Native Americans’ accomplishments and contributions to America. But not celebrating Columbus Day does, in fact, detract from the brave voyage and achievements made by Columbus and his men in discovering America.
America has changed immensely over its lifetime. The deeply imperfect liberal ideals initially born in that small, British republic have made full and free citizens of immigrants from Europe, Asia, Africa and beyond. We have freed slaves and continue the hard work of undoing the effects of centuries of slavery and segregation wrought on our African-American brothers and sisters. We are not perfect; no human society ever is. We are simply what we have always been: a good society trying to get better.
Those who attack Columbus Day need to understand what they’re opposing.
I live and work in Staten Island, which has the highest proportion of Italian-Americans of any county in the United States. About 200,000 residents claim Italian heritage, more than half of the borough’s population.
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, many statues of Columbus were erected by Italian immigrants throughout the country, including New York. This was a time when they faced harsh discrimination and even ethnic violence.
In 1891, one of the largest single mass lynchings in American history occurred in New Orleans, when 11 Italian Americans were shot and mutilated while cheering crowds shouted angry ethnic slurs and called for their blood.
In some quarters, the response to the lynching was unsympathetic to the Italian victims. An editorial in The New York Times cheered the mob justice: “These sneaking and cowardly Sicilians, the descendants of bandits and assassins, who have transported to this country the lawless passions, the cut-throat practices, and the oath-bound societies of their native country, are to us a pest without mitigations,” wrote the editors.
Even Theodore Roosevelt, then a member of the U.S. Civil Service Commission, espoused racist opinions: “Monday we dined at the Camerons; various dago diplomats were present, all much wrought up by the lynching of the Italians in New Orleans,” Roosevelt wrote his sister. “Personally, I think it rather a good thing, and said so.”
In this climate, putting an Italian face on the hero of America’s origin gave Italians a powerful symbol of their own love of America, and a national platform to bask in their innumerable contributions to building this great nation.
It was a year after the mob violence, on the 400th anniversary of Columbus’ first voyage, Columbus Day was declared a one-time national holiday, in an effort to soothe tensions with Italian Americans and between Italy and America.
This is a history to remember. Italian-American heritage is a heritage to honor. Together.
Biancardi is president of the Italian Cultural Foundation at Casa Belvedere in Staten Island.
Not sure if this Roosevelt quote is accurate, but why would he think it’s a good thing?
Ping
Indians should have their day as well...as well as Poles, germans, etc....
If I'd have said that to either of my parents, they'd have collectively beat me to death.
They were demonRATs but were first generation Americans, and very proud of it.
I don't remember that Columbus Day was a big deal, but I do know that there were several cities named after him.
I still don't regard Columbus Day as any bigger day than President's Day except it is part of the history that the left is destroying.
Revolution requires destruction, and we are sitting back and watching it happen.
If it doesn't stop, there will be CW II.
Elites in the US were concerned about leftist ideas coming into America with some Europeans; the Haymarket Square bombing occurred in 1886, and an Italian-American anarchist had killed the Italian king in 1900. While other incidents occurred after Roosevelt’s comments (Sacco and Vanzetti trials and Giuseppe Zangara’s assassination attempt of FDR), the wealthy upper class was concerned about violence from Italian (and other) agitators.
Just guessing as to why he would say that; I really don’t know.
Errrrrrr, my ancestors were Vikings, they did get here about 500 yrs before Columbus. Too bad they didn’t realize the natives were lactose intolerant. Had they stayed, there would have been many blond blue eyed squaws by the time Columbus got here and their braves would have told them to go back or else. Amazing how much iffy history is out there. LOL!
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