It was a celebration of Italian culture, cuisine and Christopher Columbus. For many Italian Americans, Columbus Day is not just a celebration of the explorer, but of Italian culture as a whole. Members of the Italian American Civic Association commemorated the day by raising the Italian flag at its Bellew Avenue building. Watertown’s Miss Italia Sa...
READ MOREOn Monday, Mayor Andre Sayegh raised the Italian Flag in honor of Paterson’s rich Italian immigrant history. In the early 1900s, thousands of Italian immigrants came to Paterson to work in the city’s silk mills. “We are proud to celebrate Italian Heritage Day on Columbus Day here in the City of Paterson,” Sayegh said. “Today we are celebrating all...
READ MORESome people living in Pueblo chose to protest a Christopher Columbus monument located on Abriendo Avenue, while indigenous people and activist groups gathered as far away from the statue as they could. Activists say for them, Columbus represents colonialism, exploitation, and racism. Pueblo is known for its ethnic diversity, which includes a large...
READ MORECelebrations began Monday morning at Binghamton City Hall with members of the city’s Italian-American community for the raising of the Italian Flag. Following the flag-raising ceremony and a performance by Tri-Cities Opera Singer Kyrie Laybourn, the downtown streets were already filling up with community members and families for the annual Columbus...
READ MOREThe City of New Rochelle celebrated Columbus Day on Monday with a brief ceremony at Hudson Park. The annual ceremony is presented by the Calabria Society of New Rochelle. The event was held at the site of a statue of Christopher Columbus. Officials say it's a reminder to remember the contributions of Italian-Americans and the major role they played...
READ MOREThe 31st annual Columbus Day Parade Sunday was the culmination of a long weekend celebrating Italian heritage in the seaside borough, which also hosted a three-day-long Italian festival. Classic cars, marching bands, Italian heritage organizations took part, and two folkloric groups from Italy, Sbandieratori e Musici and Gruppo Folkcloristico Mirom...
READ MOREThe 70th annual Columbus Day parade brought with it support and opposition Monday as local groups jostled for position on the still unresolved issue of what to do with the city’s Columbus statues. In Little Italy, Christopher Columbus is viewed in a positive light, a source of pride for Italian Americans in Chicago. Elsewhere though, critics of Col...
READ MORECheering crowds lined up behind metal barricades along Fifth Avenue Monday for New York’s 78th annual Columbus Day Parade – the world’s largest celebration of Italian-American culture and heritage. Over 100 groups participated in this year’s parade, including over 20 marching bands, 18 floats and dozens of performance groups, according to the Colum...
READ MOREToday, Christopher Columbus is calumniated as a harbinger of disease, death, and enslavement of indigenous peoples. In the riots of 2020, his statues were pulled down across the nation amidst increasing calls to “cancel” the federal holiday in his honor. Meanwhile, a petition circulated around Columbus, Ohio to rename the city “Flavortown” in honor...
READ MOREA series of lectures that began in early September and continued through this month aimed to challenge — and debunk — the argument that Christopher Columbus was a racist, colonizing murderer. The lectures were sponsored by the National Italian American Foundation and featured speaker Dr. Mary Grabar, author of the books “Debunking Howard Zinn: Expo...
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