Should Columbus be knocked off his Chicago pedestal? Don’t let a mob decide the answer
It’s surely not fashionable or politically correct to say so, but I’ve long admired the Grant Park statue of Christopher Columbus that protesters unsuccessfully tried to topple last week. The statue is just one example of how the controversial Italian explorer is as deeply embedded in American culture as such Founding Fathers as Benjamin Franklin....
Good news from the Italian Cultural Garden in Cleveland
Heartfelt THANK YOU! to all the donors!! The Italian Cultural Garden's newly completed restoration ($63,000) of black granite medallions in large 9 ft. circles honoring, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Galileo, Donatello, Bernini, Palladio & Ovidio! 3 years of planning, raising money, delays,frustration and tears -finally finished!!
Bellaire Sons of Italy selling popular sausage this weekend
The COVID-19 health crisis has impacted Ohio Valley festivals and its vendors. Despite the cancellation of the Upper Ohio Valley Italian Heritage Festival, the Sons of Italy are still here making sausage that will be for sale this weekend. The sausage sale takes place Friday through Sunday beginning at 11 a.m. daily. Members of the Sons of Italy Lo...
Italian American Leaders Want To Talk To Protesters, Ask For Peace After Violence Erupted At Christopher Columbus Statue
Violence between police and protestors at a downtown Christopher Colombus statue Friday night has Italian Americans in Chicago speaking up. Italian Americans in Chicago want to talk with protestors they say have gone too far as a violent confrontation with police took place Friday night. Members of the Italian American community said they don't un...
Columbus statue-removal tab at $90,000 and counting
The cost to remove and store the Christopher Columbus statue formerly outside City Hall on July 1 has cost taxpayers $90,000 to date, according to an ordinance approved by the City Council Monday evening. But the statue’s whereabouts remains secret, with the city continuing to say only that the 65-year-old gift from the city of Genoa, Italy, was ta...
Rewriting the antidefamation script
At a moment in our history when conflict is rampant and emotions are running high, Chicago-area Italian Americans are charting a decidedly different course. They’re building coalitions, employing quiet diplomacy and reaching out across the divide to build support for their causes. The Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans has been at the foref...
Chicago Mayor Calls Violence by Protesters, Police 'Unacceptable' After Rocks, Fireworks Thrown at Officers
The day after protests in Chicago near the Christopher Columbus statue in Arrigo Park, Mayor Lori Lightfoot criticized both demonstrators accused of attacking police and the police who allegedly responded with excessive force. Protesters marched to Arrigo Park in the Little Italy neighborhood from the Black and Indigenous Solidarity Rally Protests...
Protesters dispersed by police after trying to topple Columbus statue in Grant Park
Protesters surrounded the Christopher Columbus statue in Grant Park Friday night, spray-painted it and tried to pull it down. A large group gathered about 4:20 p.m. at Buckingham Fountain, 301 S. Columbus Dr., for a protest and moved south into Grant Park, Chicago police said. The group approached the Christopher Columbus statue and some “used the...
Rockford schools to swap Columbus Day holiday for Election Day
Rockford Public Schools will be open on Columbus Day this year, swapping the traditional annual day off for the state’s newly designated Election Day holiday on Nov. 3. Government entities and public schools across the state are adjusting their work and attendance calendars after Gov. JB Pritzker signed the legislation on June 16. Some schools are...
Gli Italiani: A Modern Musical Pedigree Established Early and Carefully Nurtured
Twentieth-century American businessman, author and philanthropist W. Clement Stone coined the phrase “You are a product of your environment, therefore choose the environment that will best develop you toward your objective.” He also encouraged the masses to “Analyze your life in terms of its environment by evaluating the things around you and deter...
Idea of replacing Little Italy’s Christopher Columbus statue with Chef Boyardee is a calculated insult
Of all the actions proposed by the agitators, none is more just plain stupid than the attack on Christopher Columbus -- calling for his statue in Little Italy to be removed. Let’s remember, by the laws, thinking and morality of his day, Columbus did nothing wrong -- morally or legally. Specifically, to call for the removal of his statue in Little I...
Akron Eliminates Columbus Day, Establishes Welcoming Month Starting in 2021
Akron City Council has wrapped up a three-year long process to do away with Columbus Day. Beginning in 2021 because of the pandemic, the city will celebrate Italian-American Heritage and Culture Day each October. September will be known as “Welcoming Month.” Eliminating Columbus Day in Akron was first introduced in 2017. Councilman Russel Neal Jr....