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This catchy slogan we’ve seen printed on t-shirts sold at Italian American church festivals says an awful lot about our Italian American history in 9 simple words. Let’s take a closer look at the Italians and Italian Americans who discovered it, named it, and built it. We Discovered It. Although some question whether Columbus actually discovered Am...

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The University of Notre Dame's decision to cover murals that commemorate the arrival of Christopher Columbus to the New World, can readily be debated as a point of history about an Italian navigator whose genius and grit changed mankind forever…and ultimately for the better.  Instead, let’s look at the murals as art.  Art, it seems, is more sacred...

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The Montana House of Representatives gave initial approval to remove Columbus Day from the list of state legal holidays and replace it with Indigenous Peoples Day. The House voted 62-38 to approve the creation of Indigenous Peoples Day, on the second Monday in October. Missoula Democrat Shane Morigeau is carrying House Bill 219. He says Christopher...

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Maine lawmakers are set to consider trading the Columbus Day holiday for a tribute to Native Americans. The Legislature’s State and Local Government Committee is set to hold a hearing on the bill Monday. Democratic Rep. Benjamin Collings of Portland sponsored the bill that renames the state holiday celebrated on the second Monday in October to Indi...

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According to the latest available data, those of the 2000 census, Ohio is the eighth American state for population of Italian origin. Many of them reside in the northern part of the state, particularly in Cleveland, but not only. In our tour of "Italian America" today we stop right here, and meet Pamela D'Orazio Dean, who deals with the history of...

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On his return to Spain, sailing in January and February 526 years ago, Christopher Columbus composed three letters describing his first voyage west and his experiences on the islands he explored. The letters were purportedly sent to Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand; Luis De Sant Angel (Santangel), who helped finance the voyage; and Gabriel Sanchez...

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Dear Fr. Jenkins, We are writing to express our deepest and most sincere concerns regarding the recent decision to cover up the Luigi Gregori murals in the Main Building. We firmly believe that the murals possess a cultural and historical value that transcends the concerns articulated in your recent e-mail detailing the decision to cover them up. I...

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The city of Sandusky will no longer recognize Columbus Day as an official holiday. Instead of having the day as a paid holiday, city workers will have off on Election Day. City officials said they decided to make the switch for two reasons. It prioritizes voting. The move also recognizes Columbus Day’s controversial origins. “What better way to cel...

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There’s an effort at the state Capitol to do away with Columbus Day. The holiday has become controversial with many claiming a man who treated Native Americans so poorly doesn’t deserve to be celebrated. Rep. Adrienne Benavidez, a Democrat representing Adams County, is proposing a bill that would replace Columbus Day with Colorado Day, the first Mo...

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Every immigrant group has been forced to deal with discrimination. Unlike other immigrant groups, however, Italian Americans kept silent when newspapers were unfair and harshly critical. After all, their “Old Country” experience with politicians and police were never good. Civic officials were rarely trustworthy. So, they maintained a steady code o...

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