Goodbye, Columbus Day

Being a mix of European and Shawnee blood how should I celebrate Columbus Day? Is it to honor the discoverer of the New World or a racist expression of European domination and genocide? Neither is the truth. In the U.S., Columbus Day was established to raise the status of an ethnic minority.

In the late 1800s, Italian immigrants were widely discriminated against. After a mob lynched and murdered 11 Italian immigrants in New Orleans, President Benjamin Harrison was under pressure to placate angry Italian Americans. He declared a one-time celebration on the 400th anniversary of Italian Christopher Columbus’ voyage.

There continued to be local celebrations to observe Columbus Day as an Italian Pride event and even by presidential proclamation in 1937. That didn’t last — as soon Italian Americans found themselves in an internment camp in Missoula, Montana.

Lobbying by Italian American leaders led to a federal holiday in 1971 although some areas have transitioned to Indigenous Peoples Day.

Good riddance to Columbus Day. We don’t need it anymore. In my lifetime it was created and its purpose forgotten and unnecessary. That is a real cause for celebration and a model for what is possible.

If we made a holiday for every ethnic, racial or religious group that has been victimized in our nation’s history, we’d never work. Rather than compete over historical aggrievements we could replace Columbus Day with an inclusive and forward-looking celebration that a holiday focused on any one ethnicity is archaic.

Travis Prewitt

Liberty Lake