Italian American Heritage Project
The Italian American Heritage Project (IAHP) provides educational resources about Italian American history, heritage,
and culture with a straightforward view on the roles of Italians in American history and culture.
IMMIGRATION
INTERNMENT
STEREOTYPES
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without permission except when published with this credit:
Excerpt from the Italian American Heritage Project, ©2018-2022 Janice Therese Mancuso.
Copyright 2018-2024 Janice Therese Mancuso
Contact: jtmancuso@earthlink.net Subject: IAHP
Protecting Our Heritage
From the Italian Cultural Center 2018 Fall Newsletter, Courtesy of Bill Cerruti
On August 21, 2018 , the Sacramento City Council formally adopted a Resolution recognizing the Second Monday of October as
Italian-American Day. This is also the same date that Columbus Day is observed each year. When Native Americans sought to
replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day, the Sacramento Italian community objected. As a result of negotiations
between the Italian American community, Native Americans and the City Council, Italian-Americans were able to protect the second
Monday in October as a holiday for Italian-Americans.
Italian-Americans have celebrated the Columbus Day holiday for generations as their adopted holiday and held those celebrations
on the same weekend as Columbus Day is celebrated. Sincere thanks are due to the many Italian Americans who protested with
letters, phone calls and emails to the City Council and to the local Italian American community leaders who successfully negotiated
Italian-American Day and led the fight to save our cultural holiday and protect our heritage. According to the census, 66,000 Italian-
Americans live in Sacramento.
Recent attempts by the Native Americans in California during the past year to eliminate Columbus Day have resulted in Columbus
Day being replaced in San Francisco and Los Angeles with Indigenous Peoples Day. This despite the resistance of the Italian-
American communities in those cities. In Sacramento, a similar attempt by Native Americans was stopped after the Italian
community mobilized in opposition. After negotiations with the Sacramento City Council and Native Americans, the city declared
the second Monday in October (Columbus day observed) as Italian-American Day. Sacramento does not recognize Columbus Day
but Italian-Americans protected the date for their own traditional celebrations.
Celebrations of Columbus Day are part of the national heritage of Italian-Americans. It is both a symbol of our national identity and
unity as Italian-Americans. Columbus has long been a symbol of America and Italian-Americans worked hard to gain recognition of
Columbus Day as a holiday and adopted it as their own. Now those gains by earlier generations of Italian-Americans are
threatened. The holiday was actually created as an American holiday to unify Americans with a patriotic holiday celebrating
America. It is an American holiday...if Americans keep it.
The movement to discredit and tear down Columbus is part of a larger campaign by forces attempting to chip away at the unity of
America. Indigenous Peoples Day is a day of protest against the white European settlement of lands occupied by Indigenous
peoples around the world. Hardly a day most Americans can celebrate. Native Americans, seeking to replace Columbus Day with
their own day are on a collision course with Italian-Americans across the nation where the battle is being waged. And most
Americans are unaware of the hostile forces seeking to take The Great Navigator down.
The recent attack on the Statue of Columbus in the California State Capitol Rotunda illustrates the unappeasable ire of the forces
arrayed against Columbus the man, Columbus Day the symbol and against Italian-Americans who stand in the way. In San Jose,
CA, the Columbus statue was removed against the will of the Italian community. There are 1.5 million Italian-Americans in
California, 18 million nationwide.
Recently, California Casino Native American tribes sought legislation at the State level to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous
Peoples Day. A coordinated statewide campaign by the organized Italian-American community along with the support of Italian-
American legislators blocked the attempt after a bitter battle. So, for now, Columbus Day remains a California state holiday as well
as a federal holiday and it is celebrated on the second Monday in October across the land, just not where native Americans have
convinced politicians to replace it with their own day of protest.
Italian-Americans were not ready for this struggle with Native Americans and their allies. Italian-Americans have many
organizations across the country wherever Italian Americans settled, but they are not designed to take on the organized campaign
against them. Fortunately, Italian-Americans have able leaders and have risen to the occasion in many communities to stand up for
themselves and in the process, standing up for other Americans.
This bruising ethnic conflict is another painful episode in the Italian-American experience and will likely continue until Italian-
Americans are able to organize effectively and convince political leaders to respect them as a people or until other Americans join
us to protect their heritage. At least we are finally waking up to what is at stake; our heritage and identity as a people. And what we
have learned is that where we have strong Italian-American organizations we are able to take a stand and prevail. Good reason for
every Italian-American to support our Italian organizations in their defense of Italian America.
Preserve Your
Italian Heritage
Another Tumultuous Year for Italian Americans
October 2021
Is it irony that October is Italian American Heritage Month and the latest desecration of Italian Americans on film is having its
premiere? Leading up to this event, the HBO series that spawned the movie had been airing on several of its channels. In
addition to the cable series, podcasts and numerous products have created a brand, keeping the name of this illustrious family
in the public eye. A constant reminder that Italian Americans are horrific: the men are violent, depressed, disturbed, and self-
satisfying; the women are – at the same time – both selfish and self-sacrificing. Every episode displays the brutality of humanity,
and it’s all portrayed within the culture of Italian Americans.
The negative depictions go back almost one hundred and fifty years, with the beginning of the mass migration of Italian
immigrants who journeyed to America seeking better lives. They encountered a hostile society that not only took advantage of
their naivety and difficulty in understanding English, but also scorned them; not unlike the treatment received by other
immigrants in the decades that have followed.
In this current environment where hostility toward cultural groups is widely opposed, why does the culture of Italian Americans
continue to be identified by those who make money glorifying a minuscule segment of the Italian American population? This tiny
segment dominates in perpetuating negative stereotypes by characterizing the worst of human behaviors and giving all of them
to Italian Americans.
In the world of social media, is this why it’s still acceptable for Italian Americans to consistently be subjected to ridicule?
Earlier this year, Italian American organizations throughout the United States joined to form the Conference of Presidents of
Major Italian American Organizations (COPOMIAO), with a mission “to promote our storied culture.”
Our storied culture begins in Italy. At less than twice the size of Florida, Italy – with its exotic amalgamation of nationalities – has
produced a significant number of contributors to art, music, dance, science, math, astronomy, technology, food, wine, fashion,
automobiles, architecture, and language; basically, everyday life. Galileo, da Vinci, Dante, Michelangelo, Raphael, Botticelli, de’
Medici, Vivaldi, Machiavelli, Cristoforo Colombo, Amerigo Vespucci, Verrazzano, Marco Polo, and Andrea Palladio are just a few
of Italian heritage who have changed the culture of not only America, but also the world.
The culture of Italy is known around the world, but the culture of Italian Americans is scarcely known in America. Throughout the
States, pockets of Italian Americas pay homage to their ancestors by establishing local organizations, museums, and cultural
centers that serve both Italian Americans and others in the community. Today, most news media focus on the struggles and
accomplishments of minority groups. In the late 1800s, – when Italian immigrants were a minority group – little assistance was
offered; and as the Italian Parliament pondered the treatment of its soon-to-be former residents, at the advice of the Pope (Leo
XIII), Francis Cabrini traveled to America to help the Italians.
This year, in a poll conducted by a global marketing company, Italy continues its 2020 first-place ranking as the “best country for
cultural influence;” but in America, Italian Americans continue to lose their culture; and it started way before just the mention of
Columbus became so volatile. School boards, town commissioners, educators, and journalist repeatedly repeat misinformation
about Columbus in their claims for social justice. Just this week, one of the top media outlets in the country refused to “run an
advertisement promoting the Italian American community’s stance on current rhetoric against Christopher Columbus in advance
of the Columbus Day holiday on October 11.”
According to the report, the paper – which requires guest opinion essays to be “based on fact” – “provided incorrect information
regarding Columbus’s treatment of Native Americans … The response also incorrectly stated that Columbus Day observances
cannot be linked to the 1891 lynching of 11 Italian Americans …”
Why was the ad refused? Most likely because the people who make decisions – whether on school and community boards,
town councils, or employed by business and educational institutions – were taught when they were in school that Columbus was
a dreadful person, responsible for the brutality of humanity (often demonstrated through movies and television shows that
erroneously depict the character and culture of Italians and Italian Americans).
The lack of Italian American history taught in schools combined with the misconceptions about Columbus taught in schools has
created a void in understanding the pivotal significance Italian immigrants and their descendants have contributed to American
culture. The most important step Italian Americans can make is in educating younger generations … and in attempting to
reeducate many others.
In 2021, in addition to the formation of COPOMIAO, some Italian American organizations have turned to litigation to keep
Columbus statues standing; and to protect the constitutional rights of Italian American citizens. Some victories have resulted, but
decisions by town councils and school boards, and misinformation circulating online are slowly eroding both the legacy of
Columbus and the culture of Italian Americans.
Includes excerpts from previous issues of Tutto Italiano 2006, 2009.
Lesson Plans
The Plight of Columbus and Italian Americans
September 2018
As we approach another Columbus Day, some Italian Americans look forward to celebrating their heritage by honoring the man
who opened the old world to the new. Other Italian Americans ― maybe with reasonings of remorse, guilt, or self-righteousness ―
dread the day; and some Italian Americans just don’t care. In this day and age of instant news, social media, and the aftermath of
being politically correct, Columbus Day, like Italian American culture, is tattered; and although Columbus landed generations
before the waves of Italian immigrants arrived, each mirrors the other.
Columbus sailed for Spain (Italy was not a country then, but fragmented into several city-states, the Papal States, and the
Kingdom of Naples), and he bumped into the islands of a continent that was not fully known to Europe. He was an outsider to the
Spaniards, but he persevered in his dedication to his beliefs and was utilized by Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand to find
treasures for their kingdom: a trade route, religious recruits, precious metals, more territory.
Beginning in the late nineteenth century, massive waves of Italian immigrants ― most from southern Italy ― traveled to a new
world because they felt abandoned by their country. The unification of Italy offered little hope for their survival, so they sailed for
self preservation, seeking, as all immigrants do, prosperity.
Columbus’s mission was rocky from the start, and although he was an accomplished navigator and sailed with the spirit of
adventure, the uncharted waters brought the beginnings of rebellion and uncertainty. After five weeks at sea (sailing from the
Canary Islands), the sight of land brought joy and hope.
Although traveling by steamship on a journey that took about ten days, the immigrant’s path to America was rough. Mostly
confined to dark and dingy compartments deep in the bowels of a ship, they endured crowded unsanitary living conditions, tainted
water, and barely edible food; the sight of land brought joy and hope.
Columbus encountered an entirely different civilization than what he had known; and according to his writings, he was
mesmerized by the land and the people of this different culture. He continued to seek a passage to what he thought was Asia,
attempted to bring Christianity to the inhabitants of the islands, and searched for gold. The relationships among Columbus, the
Spaniards, and the Natives turned hostile, and years of enslavement, cruel deaths, disease, and anarchy followed.
The Italian immigrants (and others entering the country) were poked and prodded ― a prerequisite to approval and acceptance
into America. Those who stayed found an entirely different culture then what they had known: uninhabitable living conditions,
sickness, and a system of forced labor. They did not find the streets paved with gold.
During his governing of the Spanish settlement, Columbus was scorned and maligned. He was stripped of his powers, wrongly
accused, and sent back to Spain in shame. Still, he believed in his dream and he was exonerated.
The Italian immigrants who made America their home were discriminated against and stereotyped. They were different ― in their
appearances, language, customs, religion, and way of life. They endured the hardships of a new land and pursued their dream of
a better life for their families.
Columbus is an enigma. Some claim he was born in Spain, some say Portugal; others say he was Greek; and although widely
accepted as Christian, he is also noted as being Jewish. His unusual signature is difficult to interpret, adding to the mystery of his
ancestry; and he spoke and wrote in several languages ― Latin, Spanish, Greek, and Portuguese. By the majority of accounts, he
was born in Genoa, but his life before 1492 is somewhat obscure.
Because of rampant discrimination, many Italian immigrants shunned their heritage and claimed to be of another nationality.
Italians are a mixture of numerous ethnic groups, and after arriving from Europe, it was easier to claim another country as their
own. Additionally, Italian immigrants ― and later generations ― were (and continue to be) stereotyped as being associated with
mobsters. Italy’s decision to side with Germany and Japan during World War II put a deeper wedge between Italians and their
home country: in America, they were warned not to speak the “enemy’s language.”
Sometime around the 500th anniversary of Columbus’s landing, questions about his voyages and motives started to emerge.
About 60 years before the quincentenary, during the administration of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Columbus Day was made a
federal holiday. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Christopher Columbus are the only people who were not presidents recognized with a
federal holiday.
During the past 25 years, the American celebration of Columbus Day has been tarnished. In schools and colleges, teachings of
Columbus blame him for the exploitation of the natives, with written words taken out of context and misinterpretations by those
who judge fifteenth-century events using twenty-first century values.
The attacks on Columbus are indirectly an attack on Italian American culture and heritage. Children of all nationalities are at risk of
being misinformed, but from the Italian immigrants who turned their backs on their heritage and with limited teaching of Italian
American history, children of Italian heritage are being taught how to lose their cultural identity.
Italian Americans need to step up and reclaim their heritage.
Click on image to enlarge.