On Monday, Oberlin’s City Council was ready to eliminate Columbus Day and replace it with Indigenous Peoples’ Day; however, in a bid to seek another solution, Order ISDAPresident Basil M Russo took to the podium and articulated why the national holiday must be preserved as it symbolizes and celebrates Italian American heritage.

Backed by more than 60 supporters at the council meeting, Russo noted that Italian immigrants began celebrating Columbus Day with parades in the late 1800s “in an effort to deal with the prejudices they were confronted with and in an effort to establish a sense of dignity and self-worth.”