Columbus Day doesn’t come without controversy.
There are more than 100 cities across the country that have adopted Indigenous Peoples Day and believe that the explorer brought genocide to the Americas.
Many Italians disagree, including one organization, the “Italian American One Voice Coalition,” which works to protect Columbus’ reputation.
They put together a list of points ahead of the holiday saying that:
- Columbus never visited what is currently the United States.
- He didn’t purposely bring disease.
- How diseases were spread wasn’t understood until a century later.
- the explorer didn’t bring slavery to the new world–it already existed there
- Columbus Day was born out of discrimination. it was dedicated to the explorer by president benjamin harrison in 18-92 following the lynching of 11 italian americans in new orleans.
Andre Dimino is the president of that coalition.
He said it can be draining to reinforce these points every holiday, but it’s something he won’t stop doing.
Dimino’s group is currently in a legal battle over the removal of a Columbus statue in New Jersey.
Over the past couple of years, countless statues of the explorer have been torn down across the country with many wondering what could be next on the Columbus chopping block.
But the famed statue standing tall in New York City isn’t going anywhere.
The Columbus Circle Monument is protected under preservation laws on both the state and national levels.
If you want more coverage on Columbus Day coverage, check out thetablet.org, including pictures of the Diocese of Brooklyn’s float and a full recap of this morning’s Mass.