Christopher Columbus.Photo: Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty
Monday marks Columbus Day, in honor of Christopher Columbus — but not all will be celebrating the Italian explorer.
Back in 1492, Columbus sailed across the Atlantic Ocean, where he stumbled upon the Americas and the people inhabiting its land, according to theLibrary of Congress (LOC).
The discovery made way for the widespread exploration and colonization of the Americas, leading Columbus to become a praised figure in Italian-American culture.
The first recorded celebration of Columbus Day in the U.S. took place on Oct. 12, 1792, but it wasn’t until 1971 that Columbus Day became a federal holiday, annually observed on the second Monday in October, per the LOC.
Since then, Italian-Americans across the country have held celebrations and parades on that day to commemorate Columbus' voyage and his contributions.
Christopher Columbus coming to the Americas.Historical Picture Archive/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty
More than 100 U.S. cities — including Seattle, Los Angeles, Denver, Phoenix and San Francisco — have replaced Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples' Day,CNNreported. And more than one dozen states — including Vermont, New Mexico, Maine and Hawaii — have done the same, according to theSmithsonian National Museum of the American Indian.
The change has led to high tensions between supporters of the two holidays, who have argued whether it is right to praise Columbus for his actions.
Those in favor of Columbus Day say the holiday should stay because it is symbolic of Italian-American heritage and represents the beginning of Western civilization.
“Today, we celebrate Christopher Columbus arriving in the Americas and the dawn of Western Civilization in the New World. #ColumbusDay,“wrotePennsylvania State Sen. Doug Mastriano on Twitter.
Rep. Nydia Velázquez of New York has sided with those against Columbus Day, saying the holiday should be wiped from the calendar entirely because the Italian explorer was a “genocidal maniac.”
“Today should just be #IndigenousPeopleDay. And yet this day is still shared with a genocidal maniac,” shewrote on Twitter. “We need to take this time to reflect on the brutal history of violence against Indigenous peoples in America and recognize that there is still a lot of work to repair this harm.”
Added New York Rep. Hakeem Jeffriesin a tweet: “Millions of indigenous people lost their lives during the genocide committed against them in the Americas. Today we pause in solemn recognition of this human tragedy. And recommit to uplift the original occupants of this land.”
Meanwhile, others have opted torecognize both Columbus and the Indigenous simultaneously.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio recently spoke out and defended both following a controversy between the city’s Board of Education and Italian-American activists, according toTime.
In May, the board removed Columbus Day from the New York City school calendar and replaced it with Indigenous People’s Day. Their decision did not go over well with Italian-American activists, who protested the change. The schools later changed the holiday name to Italian Heritage Day/Indigenous People’s Day tocompromise with both sides, the outlet reported.
“We have to honor that day as a day to recognize the contributions of all Italian Americans, so of course the day should not have been changed arbitrarily,” de Blasio said, perTime.
Ron Onesti, the president of the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans, echoed his message.
“The outcome I’m looking for is [for] our traditions to be respected and conversations to continue,” Onesti said, according toTime. “Every plaque that goes along with a statue says it recognizes the Italian community’s contributions. So people need to understand that’s why it’s there, and then let’s sit down and figure out where to go from here.”
source: people.com
