On October 12, 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt officially recognized October 12th as Columbus Day. It was enshrined as a national holiday by Congress and President Lyndon B. Johnson in the Uniform Holiday Act of 1968. To our understanding, Congress has not changed Columbus Day to “Italian Heritage Day” or “Indigenous Peoples’ Day,” yet the City of New York and its agencies continue to refer to it as such, avoiding using the name “Columbus” from any announcements regarding this holiday.

This is an insult not just to the New Yorkers of Italian descent who fought for so many years to gain recognition of Columbus Day, but to anyone with an understanding of its undeniable importance to our nation.