Dupage Policy Journal

Columbus Day is Monday, October 9, and for many Italian Americans the annual national holiday now comes with the sting of having to fight for their place in American society all over again.  

“In this age of cancel culture, we’ve gone from perpetuating the contributions Italians have made to America to defending them,” Ron Onesti, President of the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans, the umbrella group of some 60 Italian American groups in the Chicago area, told the DuPage Policy Journal.

Part of that defense is countering the woke mania that is pushing to distort or outright erase parts of American history. In 2020, for instance, the city removed statutes of Christopher Columbus in Grant and Arrigo parks.  

Onesti, a big player in the battle to get the statutes back, says their removal represents more than a shot at erasing the legacy of the 15th Century explorer.

“Very few statues were erected just to honor Columbus,” Onesti said. “Most represent the contributions Italian Americans have made to this country.”

Locally, Darien resident Terry Newsome, Downers Grove Township Committeeman and neighborhood representative of the Joint Civic Commission, recently reached out to Downers Grove Public Library (DGPL) Director Julie Milavec asking why the library had scheduled no Columbus or Italian American related activities in October – Italian American Heritage and Culture Month.

In an email, Milavec responded that "library staff put together a variety of thematic displays, events, and programs each month." 

"There are many awareness/celebration observances each month, making it impossible to feature each one on our calendar. October alone also includes Filipino American History Month, Polish American Heritage Month, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and ADHD Awareness Month."

DGPL has also scheduled an Indigenous Peoples’ Day celebration scheduled for October 15.  

Newsome's reaction was that Milavec has "politically weaponized" the DGPL.

"Until recently, DGPL board meetings kicked off every meeting with a pledge to Indigenous People, not the Pledge of Allegiance to America," he told the DuPage Policy Journal. "It wasn’t until Bill Nienburg was appointed to the DGPL board that Milavec was forced to say the Pledge of Allegiance to America before her Indigenous People Pledge. Her complete lack of any recognition during Italian American Heritage Month is a reflection of either her racist beliefs of Italians or revisionist leftists’ views that Columbus isn't worthy of celebrating."

Celebrating Columbus Day and Italian Americans has been part of the fabric of America almost since the founding of the country.

The first Columbus Day parade was held in New York on October 12, 1792. In 1892, President Benjamin Harrison declared the nation should observe Discovery Day in honor of the 400th anniversary of Columbus’s landing. His declaration followed the mob lynching of 11 Italian immigrants in New Orleans. In 1934, President Franklin D. Roosevelt designated each October 12 as Columbus Day.  The holiday was later changed to the second Monday of each October.

Last year on Columbus Day, President Joe Biden recognized “the hard work, dedication to community, and leadership of Italian Americans in every industry make our country stronger, more prosperous, and more vibrant. The Italian American community is also a cornerstone of our Nation’s close and enduring relationship with Italy — a vital NATO Ally and European Union partner.”

Over 18 million Americans have full or partial Italian ancestry, according to the Italian American Studies Association.