L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2018 www.italoamericano.org 16 L'Italo-Americano LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE D ear Readers, Octo- ber will always be Italian American Heritage month to those of us with "roots in the boot," despite efforts of the politically correct to rewrite history and white out the Great Navigator from our national legacy.  Unfortunately, dear Readers, this "Indigenous People's Day," or similar politically correct nomenclature, is here to stay so, like much in life, let us not cry because it is over, but smile because it happened at all. Except for Columbus, little Ital- ian American kids in days gone by, rarely found positive Italian connections in their school books. *** Looking back we learn that People in America have celebrat- ed Columbus's voyage since the colonial period. In 1792, New York City and other US cities celebrated the 300th anniversary of his landing in the New World. In 1892, during the 400th anniversary, teachers, preachers, poets and politicians used Columbus Day rituals to teach ideals of patriotism. These patri- otic rituals were framed around themes such as citizenship boundaries, the importance of loyalty to the nation, and cele- brating social progress. President Benjamin Harrison, impressed by the Chicago World's Fair: Columbus's arrival in the New World, called upon the people of the United States to celebrate Columbus Day formal- ly. Columbus Day was finally made a federal holiday in the United States in 1937, under the presidency of Franklin D. Roo- sevelt, but due to WWII was voided until 1971. *** In October, celebrate each day during Italian American Heritage Month, recall good things and good people. October 1: The Italian Immi- grant (A day to honor every Ital- ian who journeyed to America from Italy). October 2: Amadeo Pietro Giannini (Established branch banking system in America). October 3: Guglielmo Mar- coni (Known as father of radio for his experiments with long distance wireless transmissions). October 4: Filippo Mazzei (Supporter of American freedom during American Revolution. Thomas Jefferson's inclusion of "all men are created equal" into the Declaration of Independence is a paraphrase of Mazzei's "All men are by nature equally free and independent"). October 5: Antonio Meucci (Original holder of the patent for the forerunner of today's tele- phone). October 6: Joe DiMaggio (The Yankee Clipper led the New York Yankees to nine World Championships). October 7: Mario Lanza (Renowned tenor and film star in the mid-1950s). October 8 Gian Carlo Menot- ti (Opera composer, founded the Spoleto Festival of Two Worlds). October 9: Father Pietro Bandini (Missionary for Native Americans. In 1898 established Tontitown, "a perfect example of colonization," in Arkansas). October 10: Enrico Fermi (Discovered radioactive ele- ments that heralded the nuclear age). October 11: Antonio Pasin (created Radio Flyer wagon). October 12: Christopher Columbus (Navigator that changed the world, opening trade routes and immigration from Europe to the Americas). October 13: Maria Montes- sori, M.D. (Developed an educa- tional method for teaching chil- dren). October 14: Henry Mancini (Awarded 20 Grammy and 4 Oscars for his film and television scores). October 15: Dean Martin (Popular 20th century entertainer of stage and film). October 16: Vince Lombardi (Football icon). October 17: Mother Francis Xavier Cabrini (Fist American citizen to become Saint). October 18: Enrico Caruso (World's most acclaimed tenor in the early 1900s). October 19: Luisa  Tetrazzi- ni (World known soprano opera singer of the early 20th century). October 20: Frank Capra (Acclaimed 20th century film director, best known for It's a Wonderful Life). October 21: Arturo Toscanini (One of the world's greatest orchestra conductors). October 22: Joseph Maselli (Founder of the New Orleans American Italian Renaissance Foundation Research Library & Museum). Joe Maselli passed away in October 2009. Joe's obituary was carried by numer- ous newspapers in Louisiana. It was a particularly long one because Joe's commitment to the community transcended the com- mon exercise of activities. Such activities ranged from his origins in New Jersey to service in the army in the Second World War, to his recognition by Presidents, Mayors and individual citizens. Joe was unique in the sense that he could converse with high- ly placed individuals and the common person as well. He organized and reorganized numerous Italian-American clubs in New Orleans, the state of Louisiana and as far and wide as the Southeast, including Texas, Mississippi, Alabama and other states beyond that area. October 23: Robert Mondavi (Greatly influenced the wine industry in America). October 24: Fiorello La Guardia (First three-term Mayor of New York City, credited for changing its landscape and build- ing the foundation for the city's growth after the Depression). October 25: Amerigo Vespucci (Namesake of Ameri- ca). October 26: Geraldine Fer- raro (First woman to be nominat- ed on a major party ticket as Vice President of the United States). October 27: Constantino Bru- midi (Known as the Michelange- lo of the Unite States Capitol). October 28: Rocky Marciano (The only Heavyweight World Champion to retire undefeated). October 29: Frank Sinatra (International entertainment icon). October 30: Andrea Palladio ("Father of Architecture," wrote The Four Books on Architecture, the most famous and influential texts on architecture of all time, and still in print). October 31: Halloween treats for the Italic Institute of America and its vigilant members. "Gra- zie" to their official Log I learned that the National Education Association, to which most of this country's teachers belong, recently passed Business Item #24 which calls for the replace- ment of Columbus Day with El Dia De la Raza/Indigenous Peo- ple's Day. Due to the change, the NEA has allocated $ 50-000 to prepare literature and strate- gies for approaching school boards around the nation. While the anti-Columbus movement has centered around universities and individual city's school districts, the NEA decision is aiming for a national school standard. What is different in the NEA approach is linking Hispanics with indigenous peoples. El Dia de la Raza (The Day of the [New] Race) is how Columbus's discovery is celebrated South of the Border. It honors the mixing of European and indigenous peo- ples - mestizos - mixed bloods. Clearly, the NEA is creating a new alliance among the non- European population. Institute Director John Manci- ni says, "Columbus Day is a Fed- eral holiday which is being erod- ed from the ground up. Can these grassroots protests eventually lead to a Congressional surren- der? Politicians only have one goal - to be reelected." One of the problems in pre- serving Columbus Day is that most people believe it's a cele- bration of Italian American cul- ture, which it is not. Such a mis- conception leads to parallel debates: Native Americans see the holiday as celebrating their extermination, while Italian Americans see losing the day as an insult to Italian culture. Says Mancini, "It's Colum- bus, stupid! And exploration, human progress and joining two worlds. Not pasta and Ferraris."

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