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some parts of the States has been replaced by Indigenous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".
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