Unity, Not Division: The Italian American–Native American Alliance - Some want us divided. We refuse!

Today, Italian American organizations — led by the Italian American One Voice Coalition (IAOVC) — stand shoulder to shoulder with the Native American Guardian’s Association (NAGA) in a historic alliance built on a simple truth: heritage under attack anywhere is heritage under attack everywhere.

For Native Americans who choose to keep names like the Redskins, Chiefs, and Braves, those names and images represent pride, strength, and heritage they refuse to let outside activists erase in their name. For Italian Americans, Christopher Columbus is more than a historical figure — he is a symbol of the courage, sacrifice, and identity our ancestors carried across an ocean to build a better life.

Both communities are being told by the same small chorus of critics that their symbols must go — not because the people they represent asked for it, but because someone else decided they know better. That is not unity. That is division dressed up as virtue.

IAOVC and NAGA reject that narrative. Together, we say: honor your heritage, don't erase it. We stand for the right of every community — Italian American, Native American, and beyond — to define and defend its own symbols, its own history, and its own pride.

This alliance is proof that real progress comes not from tearing each other down, but from standing together in solidarity and mutual respect. Join with us as we strive for Unity, Not Division!