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  • tim d (he/him)doormouse@kolektiva.social
    Oct 12, 2026, 6:46 PM

    it's so-called columbus day, so it's time to share this bit i wrote about the origins of the holiday

    let's be mindful of what we celebrate, friends. the legacies we help perpetuate can darken the future, and tarnish our souls...

    Columbus Day And nothing sums up that hard right shift better than the story of Columbus Day, and story of the Sons of Italy. Let's start with Columbus Day first. Now, all things Columbus-Columbus Day, Columbus statues-are controversial these days, and rightly so-but in the early days of the Italian colony in Massachusetts, it was just another festival day for one of the many local mutual aid societies. Boston's original
    Columbus Society (aka la Societa di Mutuo Soccorso "Cristoforo- Colombo") was the second society to form, way back in 1869, and it hosted the first Columbus Day parade in Boston a few years later. It was a small affair, and probably only held significance for members and their families. But later in the 1800s, Columbus became a national hero for Italian-Americans. Think about it-Italians were discriminated against left and right in their new country-but meanwhile here was this Italian dude that a lot of people thought had discovered the place. What a perfect way to demonstrate to Americans that they should be nicer to Italian immigrants! So, pretty soon, there were mutual aid societies named after Columbus, with their own parades, in Fitchburg, Salem, Lawrence, and Worcester-and all around the country. By 1903, the Boston Columbus Society had turned its parade into a large event-inviting all of the other Massachusetts Columbus societies to march around Boston with them, and capping it off with a "sumptuous banquet" (as the invitation described it). By the
    1920s, the Boston Columbus Day parade had turned into the most important annual event for the Italian community. Most of the other local mutual aid societies marched in it, local politicians took part, and the whole thing got front-page coverage in La Gazzetta. Good so far? Well, here's where it gets dark. Italy's new fascist government noticed all the hubbub, and saw an opportunity to spread Italian nationalism, and boost support for Italy. (Remember, Italian-Americans were very generous with their donations to Italy and its war efforts). And so Italian consuls and officials began marching in American Columbus Day parades- including the Boston one. And Italy started hosting its own annual Columbus Day parade in Rome. After that, it was only a matter of time before Columbus Day became synonymous with Italian nationalism and fascism. In addition to all the Italian flags and dignitaries, Boston's Columbus Society started inviting outright fascists to give speeches, and to march in the parade-which they did, in military-style uniforms, in military formation. Not everyone was happy with this, of course- and pretty quickly, anti-fascists began protesting led to fighting between the two groups.
    If that wasn't bad enough, wait til you hear how Columbus Day became a national holiday. In the 1930s, the publisher of New York's influential Italian-language newspaper il Progresso Italo- Americanowas a man named Generoso Pope. Pope was a member of both the fascist Lictor Federation and the Fascist League of North America, and was later given the title of Grand Officer of the Crown of Italy by Mussolini for his service to fascism in America. What a prince, right? Around this time, Pope began advocating for Columbus Day to become a national holiday-running articles in his paper, and pressuring his American political connections, including some local politician named Franklin D. Roosevelt. After FDR became President of the US, he declared Columbus Day a national holiday. Whatever honest Italian pride was behind the original Columbus Day celebrations in the 1800s, it was now firmly overshadowed by fascism. As if you needed any more reasons to stop celebrating Columbus Day ...
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