When the Board of Education replaced Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day in October, a number of leaders in the Italian-American community including former mayors Lenny Paoletta and John Fabrizi saw it as a swipe to their heritage. The school board heard the community roar. Monday night it voted to approve Italian Heritage Day for the day that commemorates Columbus. Indigenous People’s Day will be designated for a day to be determined.
School board member Kate Rivera had made the proposal to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous People’s Day arguing that Columbus should not be viewed as a hero asserting “It’s just a matter of being accurate. Columbus didn’t find anything. There were already people here.” Opponents to Columbus Day assert the explorer spread genocide during his voyages to Caribbean lands.
Superintendent of Schools Fran Rabinowitz said the name change took her by surprise, saying “I would like to research how we will implement the indigenous people holiday.”
Following protests Rivera told OIB she would embrace a day to celebrate Italian heritage. She was true to her word voting for Italian Heritage Day to fall on Columbus Day while the process has begun to identify a date for Indigenous People’s Day.
“But we have both now,” says Rivera. “So I hope everyone is happy and feels respected.”
The Council of Italian American Societies promotes an annual parade to coincide with the weekend of Columbus Day.
In related news the board voted to change the name of Columbus school to that of Colon. Many other names were submitted for the change with Amerigo Vespucci and Marco Polo school leading until some one mentioned another Italian explorer “Cristóbal Colón” his voyages legendary while never really discovering anything other than how beautiful world outside Europe was. So the name will remain the same with a twist.
Hector, you are kidding, right?
Yes Steve, I was kidding.
It will always be Columbus Day. I also like Italian Heritage Day. I am sure when the world finds out Christopher Columbus was a Sephardic Jew (true), it will become the Spanish Jew Day that Loves Italians–rejoice, it’s all about the food!!! Oh, that won’t work, the Spanish Courts were murdering the Jews. Why the school Board in our city where kids are failing miserably had to address a holiday is beyond me. Seriously folks. Why did two former Mayors have to go before a school board in Bridgeport to keep the holiday alive? The school board has nothing better to do? I did not know the school board had that kind of power and yet our schools are rated poorly. I would suggest the school board make more important decisions! Honestly, I was bothered seeing Mayor Paoletta so upset on TV and Chris Caruso works so hard to make this day an event and of course John Fabrizi speaking out.
Steven, I agree. While it is their right to stand up for what they believe, where is all this passion and energy about the most important of the BPS … the kids?
They should be down there more frequently putting pressure on the board to work together to fix the schools. And the BOE meetings are about to get crazier once the newly elected crew joins up. Moales. Maria. Two factions again.
Moales didn’t run for reelection. He’s out at the end of the month.
Let’s rename it “Sephardic Jew Who sailed in 1492 At The Behest of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain and their Crew” Day. That covers it. There are no national holidays celebrating the contributions the Dutch made to U.S. history even though they were among the early settlers, especially in the Greater New York Area. The Dutch have made tremendous contributions to art, culture and engineering. No one ever proposed a national holiday for them. Blimey, their nation is the size of a postage stamp, 70% of it is below sea level.
🙂
The really good news to come out of Monday night’s School Board meeting is the name of Longfellow School will be changed to Geraldine Claytor Magnet Academy. Prophetess Gerry, who died unexpectedly last week, was a tireless advocate for the clean-up and total rebuild of the school. She was also the founder of the Feed The People Food Pantry that has fed thousands in the PT Apartments and she has helped Bridgeport’s needy in so many ways. More about Gerry:
www .youtube.com/watch?v=CJo6xAIQ9_A
She deserves the honor and I am certain the neighborhood and family appreciate it.
I feel they just wanted to keep Columbus Day under like a code name? They gave this tiny victory to indigenous people and then instantly snatched it away. Why not put Italian Heritage Day on a different day of the year? Indigenous People’s Day is meant to be set on what was previously called Columbus Day for a reason. Not to mention, the fact that a date has not actually been set is not insignificant. Yet another example of leaders caving to white interests and dismissing brown people. It’s too bad really.
M Rodriguez,
Try reading up about the larger issue before you comment.
The United Nations has placed this holiday on August 9. If anyone on the BOE bothers to do any research, I’d suspect they’d do the same.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigenous_Peoples’_Day
Booty (love your handle by the way), the International Day is different than a municipal day. At least 9 US cities have replaced Columbus Day with Indigenous People’s Day in the US. The US has a unique history with its indigenous people. The struggles of indigenous people worldwide are not a monolith.
Caving in to white people. Baloney. The only racism I see here is you. It seems you think we should dump an Italian holiday for indigenous peoples’ day. Give them a day of their own. The date set for Italian Heritage Day is a national holiday we in Bridgeport call by a different name.
I will reiterate. I am not opposed to an Italian Heritage Day. Replacing Columbus Day with Indigenous People’s Day is meant to subvert our history of celebrating the genocide of Native Americans in this country. Also, I don’t understand what your quote from this site has to do with what I said.
indigenouspeoples.nl/indigenous-peoples/definition-indigenous
Rodriguez, I suggest you read your own post above.
Also, in the words of Rihanna, your pussy is too dry to be riding my dick like this, Andy.
Rodriguez, you are really a bonafide asshole. I am sure your family is proud of your language and your racist ignorance. Someday you will meet someone who can explain things to you in nursery school terms, asshole.
Rodriguez, if and it’s a big if, you had a dick you would be dangerous.
The words of Rihanna; wow, you really are a jerk.
WOW, that was uncalled for!
Hey, are you the same Rodriguez who coached football at Bassick and resigned for using an ineligible player? If you are that same Rodriguez, with your language the resignation was a good idea.
Any United Nations-system body has never adopted a definition of the concept of “indigenous peoples.” The prevailing view today is no formal universal definition of the term is necessary, given a single definition will inevitably be either over- or under-inclusive, making sense in some societies but not in others. For practical purposes, the commonly accepted understanding of the term is that provided in the Jose R. Martinez Cobo’s Study on the Problem of Discrimination against Indigenous Populations.
Andy, I mean what Rodriguez said.
I knew that, Lisa.
“Columbus Day” is the easiest to pronounce. Several generations of Americans have been celebrating Columbus Day. Why change it?
I don’t know what got in Fabrizi’s craw. Italian Heritage Day? Italians celebrate their heritage and culture EVERY DAY. Italy’s sons have contributed more than a little to culture and science. Tesla, Marconi, Da Vinci, Verdi, to name a few.
*** If celebrating the contributions of Native Americans is so important to some, why not just make a special holiday for them instead of trying to change Columbus Day, a pre-existing holiday that has been around such a long time? I know Columbus was more than just an explorer dabbling in slaves, stolen goods, jewels and rum trades along with sex slaves! However how much is really taught in American schools about Native Americans, etc. to start changing long-standing holidays? *** WHOOP ***