(ANSA) – ROME, APR 28 – The National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) on Monday hailed US President Donald Trump’s announcement that he is “bringing back” Columbus Day, which in some parts of the States has been replaced by Indigenous People’s Day.
Explorer Christopher Columbus, celebrated for boldly ‘discovering’ America, has more recently been criticised for the alleged enslavement and genocide of Native Americans, and statues of him have been torn down in many American places.
The District of Columbia and the states of Colorado, Hawaii, Alaska, Vermont, South Dakota, New Mexico, Maine, Minnesota, and parts of California, including, for example, Los Angeles County, do not recognize Columbus Day and have each replaced it with celebrations of Indigenous Peoples’ Day (in Hawaii, “Discoverers’ Day”, in South Dakota, “Native American Day” or other holidays.
The practice of U.S. cities eschewing Columbus Day to celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day began in 1992 with Berkeley, California.
The list of cities that have followed suit as of 2018 includes Austin, Boise, Cincinnati, Denver, Los Angeles, Mankato, Philadelphia, Portland, San Francisco, Santa Fe, Seattle, Saint Paul, Phoenix, Tacoma, and dozens of others.
Trump said on Truth Sunday that he was bringing Columbus Day “back from the ashes” even though it has been a federal holiday since 1971.
“I’m bringing Columbus Day back from the ashes. The Democrats did everything possible to destroy Christopher Columbus, his reputation, and all of the Italians that love him so much,” Trump wrote in his post.
“They tore down his Statues, and put up nothing but ‘WOKE,’ or even worse, nothing at all! Well, you’ll be happy to know, Christopher is going to make a major comeback. I am hereby reinstating Columbus Day under the same rules, dates, and locations, as it has had for all of the many decades before!” he added.
As the nation’s leading Italian American organization, NIAF – underlined President and CEO Robert Allegrini – “has long championed the importance of this holiday not only for Italian Americans, but for all Americans who value our shared history”.
“For years – he continued – NIAF has been at the forefront of protecting Columbus Day from attempts to diminish its meaning.
We have consistently advocated for the preservation of Columbus statues and monuments as vital symbols of Italian American heritage and contributions to American society”.
“We are grateful for the President’s strong support and share his vision for a robust national celebration that honors the spirit of exploration, courage and cultural exchange that Columbus represents”, he added, assuring that NIAF is “ready to work with the Administration to ensure that Columbus Day continues to be a proud tradition that celebrates the enduring bond between Italy and the United States”. (ANSA).
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Explorer Christopher Columbus, celebrated for boldly ‘discovering’ America, has more recently been criticised for the alleged enslavement and genocide of Native Americans, and statues of him have been torn down in many American places.
The District of Columbia and the states of Colorado, Hawaii, Alaska, Vermont, South Dakota, New Mexico, Maine, Minnesota, and parts of California, including, for example, Los Angeles County, do not recognize Columbus Day and have each replaced it with celebrations of Indigenous Peoples’ Day (in Hawaii, “Discoverers’ Day”, in South Dakota, “Native American Day” or other holidays.
The practice of U.S. cities eschewing Columbus Day to celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day began in 1992 with Berkeley, California.
The list of cities that have followed suit as of 2018 includes Austin, Boise, Cincinnati, Denver, Los Angeles, Mankato, Philadelphia, Portland, San Francisco, Santa Fe, Seattle, Saint Paul, Phoenix, Tacoma, and dozens of others.
Trump said on Truth Sunday that he was bringing Columbus Day “back from the ashes” even though it has been a federal holiday since 1971.
“I’m bringing Columbus Day back from the ashes. The Democrats did everything possible to destroy Christopher Columbus, his reputation, and all of the Italians that love him so much,” Trump wrote in his post.
“They tore down his Statues, and put up nothing but ‘WOKE,’ or even worse, nothing at all! Well, you’ll be happy to know, Christopher is going to make a major comeback. I am hereby reinstating Columbus Day under the same rules, dates, and locations, as it has had for all of the many decades before!” he added.
As the nation’s leading Italian American organization, NIAF – underlined President and CEO Robert Allegrini – “has long championed the importance of this holiday not only for Italian Americans, but for all Americans who value our shared history”.
“For years – he continued – NIAF has been at the forefront of protecting Columbus Day from attempts to diminish its meaning.
We have consistently advocated for the preservation of Columbus statues and monuments as vital symbols of Italian American heritage and contributions to American society”.
“We are grateful for the President’s strong support and share his vision for a robust national celebration that honors the spirit of exploration, courage and cultural exchange that Columbus represents”, he added, assuring that NIAF is “ready to work with the Administration to ensure that Columbus Day continues to be a proud tradition that celebrates the enduring bond between Italy and the United States”. (ANSA).
Read article…
