You may have heard the news. Two weeks ago, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted 10-1 to rename Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day. There was virtually NO public notice or opportunity for public discussion prior to the vote.
In my opinion, this is an attack on the Italian American Community. Everyone knows that Columbus Day is a day of Cultural Heritage and Celebration. Besides being 1/2 Italian, I am also 1/4 Sicilian and also 5% Sioux Indian. To rename a cultural holiday is ridiculous! I'm not going to argue about Columbus and how good or bad a person he was, History books are for that, but two wrongs don't make one right, I remember learning this from my parents. I'm 100% American and we may not be able to change the current wave of "righting wrongs", but we can stand up to discrimination!
What's next? Renaming St. Patrick's Day? Outlawing Saint Valentine's Day? Americans have the right to celebrate their heritage and everyone in their right mind knows that Columbus Day isn't about Columbus per se, it's about Heritage, celebrating for a day that "everybody can be Italian".
A couple of years ago, a private company renamed a National Landmark, the famous Awahnee Hotel. They changed it to: The Great Majestic Hotel. There is nothing great about renaming landmarks or Federal Holidays in my book. Especially when it is done behind closed doors and without public acknowledgement.
If you are Italian or not, you should be upset over this. Politicians deciding without public input what to do. Turning an Italian Holiday into an American Indian Holiday without so much as a peep. What can we do to make a change for the better.
#1 Everyone should stand up to discrimination in whatever form it takes and call it what it is.
THIS IS DISCRIMINATION!
I would suggest calling your local representatives and telling them that you don't appreciate them making decisions about National/Federal Holidays behind closed doors.
The SF Italian Athletic Club is doing an excellent job of leading the charge in the efforts of the SF Italian American Community to make sure our local traditions and history are preserved.
