Category: news

bookmark_borderColumbus Day celebrations around the country and world

Posted on by Marissa

Here is a roundup of some Columbus Day celebrations around the country and world that brought a smile to my face: 

New Orleans, Louisiana: American-Italian Federation of the Southeast to host a Columbus Day reception (via We The Italians)

Boston, Massachusetts: Blessing of the Christopher Columbus statue (via St. Leonard’s Parish Facebook page)

Malden, Massachusetts: Columbus Day post from the St. Rocco’s Feast Association (via St. Rocco Malden Facebook page)

Newton, Massachusetts: Columbus Day rolling parade flyer (via Watertown Sons of Italy Facebook page)

Springfield, Massachusetts: Poster for Columbus Day parade (via Springfield Italians Instagram page)

Springfield, Massachusetts: Post about the history and significance of Columbus Day (via Springfield Italians Instagram page)

Springfield, Massachusetts: Getting ready for the Columbus Day parade (via Springfield Italians Facebook page)

Springfield, Massachusetts: Live video of the Columbus Day parade (via Springfield Italians Facebook page)

Springfield, Massachusetts: Columbus Day Parade returns to Main Street Springfield after two-decade hiatus (via Springfield Republican)

Watertown, Massachusetts: Columbus Day post from the Watertown Sons of Italy (via Watertown Sons of Italy Facebook page)

East Hanover, New Jersey: Senator Anthony M. Bucco selected as Grand Marshal of Morris County Columbus Day parade (via Senator Anthony M. Bucco’s Facebook page)

Montville, New Jersey: Unico members place a wreath on Columbus bust (via Montville Unico Facebook page)

Northvale, New Jersey: IAOVC media alert: Columbus Day schedule (via IAOVC Facebook page)

Eastchester, New York: Italian pride on full display at Eastchester Columbus Day Carnival (via We The Italians)

New York City: Celebrating Columbus Day in the Bronx with residents and Councilwoman Kristy Marmorato (via Curtis Sliwa Facebook page)

New York City: Italian American Civil Rights League statement on why Columbus Day matters (via IACRL Instagram page)

New York City: Columbus Circle wreath laying ceremony (via Curtis Sliwa Facebook page)

Brooklyn, New York: Columbus Day Parade along Bensonhurst’s 18th Avenue in Brooklyn (via Rep. Nicole Malliotakis Facebook page)

Southern Pines, North Carolina: Cool Columbus graphic (via SoPies NY Pizzeria Facebook page)

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Pictures from the Columbus Day Parade in Bloomfield shared by the Sewickley SOI Lodge #1277 (via Pittsburgh Italians Facebook page)

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Pictures from the Columbus Day Parade in Bloomfield shared by the Sewickley SOI Lodge #1277 (set 2) (via Pittsburgh Italians Facebook page)

Dallas, Texas: Columbus Day and Italian Festival in Dallas (via We The Italians)

Italy:

Genoa celebrates Columbus Day with the 34th edition of “The cloisters of Columbus’s time” (via We The Italians)

Statement by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni thanking President Trump for restoring Columbus Day (via Springfield Italians Instagram page)

Statement by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on the occasion of Italy’s National Christopher Columbus Day (via We The Italians)

bookmark_borderColumbus statue in New Jersey moved to a MORE prominent location

Posted on by Marissa

In a miraculous development, the town of Garfield, New Jersey has decided to move its Christopher Columbus statue to a more prominent location within the park that bears the explorer’s name. “A statue of Christopher Columbus went on a much shorter voyage than its namesake when it was relocated within a Bergen County park on Oct. 6,” writes Kyle Morel at We The Italians. Mayor Everett Garnto said that the statue had been “out of sight, out of mind,” at its previous location near the train tracks, so it was moved to the entrance of the park. After the hellish past five and a half years with so many statues being obliterated and destroyed, for a Columbus statue to move to a more, not less, visible location is unusual and very welcome news.

bookmark_borderPresident Trump’s Columbus Day proclamation

Posted on by Marissa

A beautiful and wonderful thing to read in what has been a dark and awful time:

Today our Nation honors the legendary Christopher Columbus — the original American hero, a giant of Western civilization, and one of the most gallant and visionary men to ever walk the face of the earth.  This Columbus Day, we honor his life with reverence and gratitude, and we pledge to reclaim his extraordinary legacy of faith, courage, perseverance, and virtue from the left-wing arsonists who have sought to destroy his name and dishonor his memory.

Born in Genoa, Italy in 1451, Columbus quickly emerged as a titan of the Age of Exploration.  On August 3, 1492, following years of intense study, preparation, and petitioning, Christopher Columbus secured funding from the Spanish Crown to set out on a daring expedition that most believed to be impossible.  Commissioned by Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain, Columbus and his crew boarded three small ships — the Niña, Pinta, and Santa Maria — to set sail on a perilous voyage across the Atlantic.  He was guided by a noble mission:  to discover a new trade route to Asia, bring glory to Spain, and spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ to distant lands.

Just over 2 months later, on October 12, 1492, Columbus made landfall in the modern-day Bahamas.  Upon his arrival, he planted a majestic cross in a mighty act of devotion, dedicating the land to God and setting in motion America’s proud birthright of faith.  Though he initially believed he had arrived in Asia, his discovery opened the vast frontier and untold splendors of the New World to Europe.  He later ventured onward to Cuba and other islands in the Caribbean — exploring their coasts and engaging with their people.

Guided by steadfast prayer and unwavering fortitude and resolve, Columbus’s journey carried thousands of years of wisdom, philosophy, reason, and culture across the Atlantic into the Americas — paving the way for the ultimate triumph of Western civilization less than three centuries later on July 4, 1776. 

Outrageously, in recent years, Christopher Columbus has been a prime target of a vicious and merciless campaign to erase our history, slander our heroes, and attack our heritage.  Before our very eyes, left-wing radicals toppled his statues, vandalized his monuments, tarnished his character, and sought to exile him from our public spaces.  Under my leadership, those days are finally over — and our Nation will now abide by a simple truth:  Christopher Columbus was a true American hero, and every citizen is eternally indebted to his relentless determination.

As we celebrate his legacy, we also acknowledge the contributions of the countless Italian-Americans who, like him, have endlessly contributed to our culture and our way of life.  To this day, the United States and Italy share a special bond rooted in the timeless values of faith, family, and freedom.  My Administration looks forward to strengthening our long and storied friendship in the years to come.

This Columbus Day, more than 500 years since Columbus arrived in the New World, we follow his example, we echo his resolve, and we offer our gratitude for his life of valor and grit.  Above all, we commit to restoring a Nation that once again dares to tame the unknown, honors our rich cultural inheritance, and offers rightful praise to our Creator above.

In commemoration of Christopher Columbus’s historic voyage, the Congress, by joint resolution of April 30, 1934, and modified in 1968 (36 U.S.C. 107), as amended, has requested the President proclaim the second Monday of October of each year as “Columbus Day.”

NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim October 13, 2025, as Columbus Day.  I call upon the people of the United States to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.  I also direct that the flag of the United States be displayed on all public buildings on the appointed day in honor of the great Christopher Columbus and all who have contributed to building our Nation.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this ninth day of October, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-five, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fiftieth.

Source here

Indeed, Columbus is legendary, visionary, a hero, a giant, a titan. 

Indeed, the intolerant bullies’ campaign of obliteration has been both merciless and vicious. 

Unlike proclamations issued by President Biden, this proclamation is not being issued alongside another one honoring the intolerant bullies. Also unlike proclamations issued by President Biden, which focused on praising Italian American immigrants and mentioned Columbus only briefly and in a neutral tone, this one focuses on Columbus himself, and showers him with effusive praise. Such praise is precisely what he deserves, particularly after years of being subjected to the most sadistic, cruel, and disgusting treatment imaginable.

By issuing this proclamation, the U.S. government has taken a significant step towards righting the horrific wrongs that have been committed over the past five and a half years. By issuing this proclamation, President Trump has helped to heal (not entirely, but to a meaningful extent) the trauma that has been inflicted on me by the vicious and merciless bullies. 

Thank you.

Further coverage:

bookmark_borderConfederate statue sanctuary in the works in Texas

Posted on by Marissa

Back in 2017, the city government of San Antonio, Texas – determining, apparently, that people who are different from the majority should no longer be able to feel welcome in public spaces or be represented in public art – decided to remove its Confederate monument. Like all similar instances, this decision was immoral, despicable, and an abomination that should never have even been considered as an option, let alone carried out. 

However, the reason why I am posting about this now is because there is one recent piece of good news to come out of this terrible situation. The city has agreed to donate the monument to an organization called the SS American Memorial Foundation, which plans to display it in a privately owned, but publicly accessible, park. After spending 8 years in storage in an undisclosed location, the statue will finally see the light of day. Craig Russell, the founder and operator of this organization, said that he plans to collect Confederate statues from across Texas and assemble them in the park, which will be located in the city of Seguin, Texas.

As Valor Memorial Park pointed out in this Facebook post, Russell’s park seems like it will aim to do for Texas what Valor has done in North Carolina. None of this takes away from the horror and pain of the atrocities that have been committed, but the prospect that some statues will find loving and respectful homes provides a glimmer of hope in what would otherwise be a completely demoralizing situation. This is an exciting new development, and I’m looking forward to seeing the park take shape. 

bookmark_borderConfederate statues from Wilmington, NC find a new home at Valor Park

Posted on by Marissa

Valor Memorial Park is getting two new statues!

In 2020, the government of Wilmington, North Carolina – determining, apparently, that people who are different from the majority should no longer feel welcome in public spaces or be represented in public art – decided to remove their two Confederate monuments. The statues, one honoring Confederate soldiers in general and the other honoring Confederate senator and attorney general George Davis, were held in storage for over 5 years. On September 19, the city reached an agreement to transfer ownership of the statues to Valor Memorial Park, a privately owned park that is dedicated to honoring all veterans and that currently has 3 beautiful Confederate statues. Despite how despicable, appalling, and immoral the actions of Wilmington’s city government have been, this is a small piece of good news to come out of a terrible situation.

As this post from Dixie Forever states, the statues are finally being relocated to a loving home.

And as Valor Park wrote in a social media post: “They are now home. These memorials will be preserved and restored with honor. Thank you to Courage and Sacrifice for their partnership. That partnership will continue as these are restored, cleaned, and repaired. They wont be hidden and will be open to the public.”

If you are interested in purchasing merchandise or making a donation to support the care and upkeep of the statues, you can do so here.

bookmark_borderCurtis Sliwa calls for new Columbus statue in Staten Island

Posted on by Marissa

Curtis Sliwa, the Republican candidate for mayor of New York City, has said that he is looking to have a Christopher Columbus statue erected in Staten Island! Sliwa remarked at a campaign rally on Saturday, September 27, that Staten Island is the most Italian of all the boroughs of New York, yet has never had a statue of Columbus. Sliwa unfortunately doesn’t have a good chance of winning the mayoral race. However, it is excellent that such a high-profile political candidate has not only expressed his support of Columbus statues, but has actually called for the creation of a new one. Perhaps even if Sliwa loses the mayoral race, he will still be able to make the statue a reality. That is something that I would absolutely love to see.

Source: We The Italians

bookmark_borderNew Italian American mural in Springfield, MA

Posted on by Marissa

On August 28, a new mural was unveiled in Springfield, MA. It adorns the wall of the Italian Cultural Center and depicts four generations of Italian Americans sharing a meal together, ranging from an old man to a baby girl. Painted by Eric Okdeh in collaboration with the organization, Common Wealth Murals, it is titled, “Sunday Dinner.” Interestingly, the people in the mural are based on real-life members of the Italian Cultural Center. 

When I first saw this news story and glimpsed the accompanying photo, I thought the mural was nice, but not particularly significant. As an Italian American, I enjoy seeing things related to my heritage. But the statue genocide of the past five years has affected me so deeply that it is pretty much all that I can think about or care about. This mural wasn’t doing anything to combat the erasure of Christopher Columbus or the Confederacy from our public spaces, I thought, so I didn’t really care about it all that much.

But then I looked at the photo more closely. My eyes went to the stained-glass window behind the woman who is standing and holding a bowl of pasta. Specifically, the bottom right panel of the stained-glass window. Guess who I saw depicted in the stained-glass window?

Needless to say, I like this mural a lot. This mural represents a new depiction of Christopher Columbus in public art. And given the horrific events of the past five years, this a very significant thing indeed. 

Check it out here via We The Italians

bookmark_borderFlorida plans to end ALL vaccine mandates

Posted on by Marissa

The state of Florida is planning to end vaccine mandates. Not just covid vaccine mandates, but all of them. That is what Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo and Governor Ron DeSantis announced in a press conference this past Wednesday. 

“Every last one of them is wrong and drips with disdain and slavery,” Ladapo said. “Who am I, as a government or anyone else, to tell you what you should put in your body? I don’t have that right.”

I could not agree more strongly. Indeed, requiring people to get a medical procedure demonstrates complete and utter disdain. And indeed, no one has the right to tell another person what they should put in their body.

This is absolutely fantastic news for kids in Florida, because it means that the government will no longer force them to undergo medical procedures in order to attend school. But despite the fact that this is objectively fantastic news, some people (unsurprisingly but wrongly) are unhappy about it. 

On the Fox News social media post regarding this news story, the most common reactions were “like” and “love,” but the third most common was the “angry” emoji. Yes, nearly a thousand people are apparently angry about kids not being forced to undergo medical procedures against their will. How a lack of forcing people to undergo medical procedures against their will could possibly make someone angry is incomprehensible and demonstrates the complete moral bankruptcy of such a person.

On a somewhat similar note, Fox News’s medical analyst, Dr. Marc Siegel, claimed that “school mandates make sense” because they are the only way to achieve herd immunity, in which “those who can’t get that vaccine because they are immunocompromised are protected by those around them.” This way of thinking is wrong because it focuses solely on the consequences of policies, rather than the intrinsic morality (or lack thereof) of the policies themselves. Perhaps vaccine mandates are the only way to achieve herd immunity, but this is irrelevant to the question of whether mandates should exist. Vaccine mandates violate people’s rights, and therefore are wrong, and need to be abolished, regardless of any positive results that they achieve. Violating people’s rights is never okay. Similarly, perhaps vaccine mandates enable people who can’t get the vaccine to be protected by those around them, but being protected from disease by the people around you is not a right that anyone has. Declining medical intervention, on the other hand, is a right that people have, and vaccine mandates violate it. The desire for immunocompromised people to be protected by those around them does not supersede the right to decline medical intervention.

Dr. Susan Kressley, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said that abolishing vaccine mandates “will put children in Florida public schools at higher risk for getting sick.” This is another example of a fact that may very well be true, but is irrelevant to the question of whether or not we should have vaccine mandates. Yes, abolishing vaccine mandates may increase children’s risk of getting sick, but you know what else it will do? Stop children from being forced to undergo medical procedures against their will. And given that forcing people to undergo medical procedures violates their rights, it’s kind of important to stop doing that. Similarly to what I stated above, the desire to reduce kids’ risk of getting sick does not supersede kids’ right to decline medical intervention.

In conclusion, the decision of the state of Florida to end vaccine mandates is excellent news because it means that children’s fundamental rights will actually be respected. And there’s nothing more important than that. 

bookmark_borderGood news from West Point

Posted on by Marissa

Another bit of good news for the historical figures who were subjected to the Biden administration’s brutal and heartless campaign of obliteration: the portrait of Robert E. Lee has just been returned to West Point!

The 20-foot-tall painting, showing the legendary general at the beginning of the Civil War, was removed from the library at West Point Military Academy by intolerant bullies in 2022. Under orders from the Trump administration, it is now back. 

Any small bit of reversal of the historical figure genocide is a beautiful thing to see, and this is no exception. 

Source: Newsmax

See also previous posts from Dixie Forever, Monuments Across Dixie.