Andiamo! RI Italian-American groups coming together to defend their history

Photo: “Columbus Square Monument”, 1930, RI State Archives

A group of leaders of Rhode Island Italian-American organizations will meet to plan efforts to defend their history. In a letter sent to over 25 Italian-American groups, the meeting is planned for late July, and will be held at The DaVinci Center in Providence.

The invitation was sent “in the wake of recent protests which have included destruction of iconic statutes such as the Christopher Columbus statue, and even campaigns to eliminate Columbus Day” .

The intent is to discuss plans to “mobilize the Italian-American community to fend off the attacks which are being launched against our heritage, our heroes, and our holidays” as  group effort.

Christopher Columbus statue

This organizing effort follows the attempted destruction, and eventual movement of the Christopher Columbus statue in Providence. The statue is now in storage at an undisclosed location, having been ordered there by Mayor Elorza. There has been interest by several Italian-American groups, and also the cities of Johnston and Narragansett in hosting the statue made by the RI based Gorham silver company.

Columbus Day Weekend in RI

There has been increasing calls to rename the iconic Columbus Day weekend holiday in Rhode Island, which includes a Columbus Day Parade on Federal Hill as its culmination with celebration of Italian food, craft, music, and dignitaries. The event includes awards for community service.

At last year’s event a few local politicians and, in particular, several Providence elected officials who identify as progressive Democrats spoke publicly about not celebrating Christopher Columbus, later acknowledging that they had participated in the parade.

Brown University

Brown University, going back to 2015, began efforts to change its weekend designation from Columbus Day Weekend to Fall Weekend, ending in 2016 when the Faculty Executive Committee voted to change the name, officially, to Indigenous People’s Day. Thomas Roberts, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, chairs the Faculty Executive Committee. Roberts issued the following statement after the meeting that the vote of the faculty “expressed their support for the name change as an opportunity to show support for Native Americans on our campus and beyond, and to celebrate Native American culture and history”.

The first Italo-American elected to statewide office was Louis W. Cappelli; he graduated from both Brown University and Yale Law School. in 1940 he became the first Italo-American elected to the office of Lt. Governor. He was elected two times as Lt. Governor, and then was appointed an Associate Justice of Superior Court.

In 2014, Gina Raimondo was elected governor, becoming the first female governor of Rhode Island – a major achievement for anyone, male or female; but especially significant as an Italo-American woman.

Black Lives Matter Holiday

This year the establishment of a new local and national holiday recognizing Black Lives Matter has met with increasing acceptance. Knowing that there are economic considerations with every national holiday, the idea of replacing Columbus Day with a Black Lives Matter Day has been proposed.

As one Italian-American supporter of keeping the Columbus Day holiday in place said, “many would support a Black Lives holiday – but it should not come at the sacrifice of one of the biggest national holidays for Italian-Americans. We can support each other. We are all Americans.”

The National Columbus Education Foundation

The five most significant Italian American organizations in the nation have come together, “deciding that the Genovese navigator deserved a fair and balanced examination and the more than 20 million-person Italian American Community must help lead the effort to make sure he gets it. Its members include The Columbus Citizens Foundation, the Italians Sons and Daughters of America (ISDA), the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF), the Order of the Sons and Daughters of Italy (OSDIA), and UNICO National. These groups have “gathered together in an unprecedented show of Italian American unity to form, and fund, the National Columbus Education Foundation.

“The mission of our new foundation is to bring a nuanced and fair perspective to the examination of a complex historical figure,” said John M. Viola, executive director, and executive producer of the Italian American Podcast. “It is our immediate intention to begin the work of building a coalition of Americans of all ethnic, religious, and political backgrounds to make clear that our nation deserves an honest look at Columbus and all aspects of its history. Up until now, critics of Columbus have refused to have an open discussion and based their vitriolic attacks on one or two accounts of Columbus’ life written hundreds of years ago by people with their own agendas, and we think that ought to be corrected.  At this critical moment in American social history, if we really want to correct historical wrongs, then we can’t perform that delicate surgery by chopping at it with a blunt axe, and that is what is happening.”

Andiamo! Italians Make Their Mark in Rhode Island

In 2019 Andiamo! Italians Make Their Mark in Rhode Island, a collection of historical archives, was established at the RI State Archives, in working with local Italian American groups. “Italian Americans are one of Rhode Island’s most prominent and influential communities,” said Secretary Gorbea, at its opening. “They came to America with an incredible work ethic, and despite many challenges in the early days Italian Americans have shaped Rhode Island’s cultural and political landscape. Their story is a powerful reminder that immigration to a new place is full of complexity.”

There are an estimated 20 million Italian Americans. Rhode Island has the highest population of Italian Americans per capita in the United States, with Providence and Johnston being the cities with the greatest populations of those from Italian descent.

This is a developing story.