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#Repost The Social Media Delinquent Might I Opine:Long before Columbus Day was a federal holiday it was a day observed by the early Italian American community celebrating their contribution to the United States. It wasn’t until the 1891 lynching of 11 Italian immigrants in New Orleans that our federal government took notice and President Harrison recognized Columbus Day that year in honor of those murdered in that lynching. After the 1892 Columbian Exposition in Chicago Columbus Day became more popular but was always centered around the Italian American communities. For the next half century the Italian American communities would celebrate Columbus Day and lobby their local governments for public celebration and have monuments erected. Columbus Day would officially become a federal holiday by President Johnson celebrating the Italian American community. With all of the recent controversy being brought up about Columbus why would a day used to celebrate the Italian American community be replaced by indigenous peoples day just because some looking through modern eyes find fault with Columbus? I don’t believe Columbus should be canceled and Columbus Day should remain a celebration of our Italian American citizens not of a different community. If people want an indigenous peoples day then pick your own day, don’t hijack the day that the Italian Americans chose for their celebration. If you dislike Columbus and don’t believe he should be recognized just remember that you do not get to choose who others celebrate. Many in the Latin American community celebrate the rabid racist and murderer Che Guevara and proudly wear commercial products with his face on it attempting to spread his communist agenda. So if the Italian American community choose someone you find unacceptable you could always just not celebrate that day and go to work instead of trying to dictate what others do. Erasing a day of Italian celebration does not bring unity. In full disclosure my paternal grandparents came to this country from Italy, so it’s personal. (DL)[the attached photo is the Columbus statue standing in Columbus Circle, Syracuse, NY]