The Cancel Culture Has Lynched Columbus Day

~ Guest Commentary ~

  Ask me how I feel as a second-generation American with grandparents from Sicily about the woke mob that has now hijacked Columbus Day from the millions upon millions of Italian Americans living in this nation today.

  Columbus Day was born in a great tragedy. It was conceived following a horrifying and brutal mass lynching in New Orleans in Louisiana. Eleven innocent Sicilian fishermen were broken out of their jail cells while law enforcement looked on. They were dragged to a public square in what is still the largest mass lynching in this country’s history.

  The Republic of Italy was furious and President Benjamin Harrison made a public apology for what had transpired. Since the following year was 1892, which would be the 400th anniversary of Columbus discovering the Americas, Harrison created Columbus Day for Italian Americans.

  In recent years with the cancel culture at work, woke mobs have been figuratively and physically attacking historical accounts, documents and statues in the name of wiping everything they found to be bad to the bone. Funny thing, even though America has grown during its history and is improving, that appears not good enough for the cancel culture fascists.

  No one, not Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln or even Columbus were perfect people. Like our nation, all of us come with our warts. The most important thing is to keep moving forward and getting better. We cannot erase history. Get used to it and learn from it. Become better.

  However, most of our political class, our politicians have gone off the deep edge. In Boston, they cancelled Columbus Day last year and replaced it with Indigenous Peoples Day. Makes no sense to pit two communities against each other. I say create a day for indigenous people without abolishing a long-established holiday for Italian Americans.

  Here is a chance for the Revere Human Rights Commission to do the right thing. I oppose any effort to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day. The second Monday of October must remain a day of pride to all who share my Italian heritage. If you want to create a new city holiday that’s fine with me but pick another Monday.