Where were the Columbus Day Parades Today? (rated)

[Fleet]

Originally Posted by wehotex

No offense, but why is columbus considered to be a hero? he brought on nothing but annihilation of civilizations and brutality here in the western hemisphere. seriously.

It would have been claimed by some country eventually.
Would you feel better if the western hemisphere was claimed by Japan or Germany?

[hgclyde]

I not sure so don't quote me but, I believe San Francisco used to have a Columbus Day parade in North Beach until the mid or late 1990's when it was deemed politically incorrect to do so by Native American Activists and eventually canceled by the Board of Supervisors.

[Mel2882]

I always remember having Columbus Day off in elementary school, and then somewhere in the mix, maybe mid 90s? it turned into a day like any other.

[TonyT]

A little history about Columbus Day:

The first recorded celebration of the European discovery of the Americas took place in New York City on October 12, 1792. The event was organized by the The Society of St. Tammany (also known as the Columbian Order) to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the arrival of Columbus in the New World.

In 1866, the Italian residents of New York City organized the first celebration of the discovery. This was followed in 1869 by a similar event put together by Italians living in San Francisco. They called their commemoration "C-Day".

The first official celebration of Columbus Day took place on October 12, 1892, the 400th anniversary of the landing of Columbus in the Bahamas. President Benjamin Harrison issued a proclamation, calling on American citizens to mark this important event. Festivities of all kinds were organized across the country in response. It was at one such event that the Pledge of Allegiance was recited for the first time in public by it's writer/creator, Francis Bellamy.

The Knights of Columbus, a Roman Catholic fraternal organization began a long lobbying effort to make October 12 an official, legal holiday in the United States. Colorado was the first state to designate it as such, doing so on April 1, 1907. They were followed in 1909 by New York.

The holiday has been celebrated nationwide every year since 1920. In 1937, President Franklin Roosevelt proclaimed that every October 12th would be Columbus Day. In 1971, President Richard Nixon declared the second monday of October a national holiday.

Though it's been awhile since I have been in school, Columbus Day was an official school holiday in California at least from some point in the 1960's, if not before, until somewhere in the late 1970's to early 1980's. My grandparents belonged to an Italian club in Los Angeles, and the club always participated in the Columbus Day parade held in downtown L.A. Unfortunately, during the late 1980's, early 1990's, the parade organizers began to minimize the role of Italian Americans in the event in an effort to make it more inclusive for primarily the Mexican American and Native American population.

I may be mistaken, and someone feel free to correct me, but I believe the City of Los Angeles no longer refers to the celebration as Columbus Day. Rather they celebrate it as "The Day of the Race" which commemorates the first meeting of Europeans and Native Americans.

[majoun]

Originally Posted by TonyT

A little history about Columbus Day:

The first recorded celebration of the European discovery of the Americas took place in New York City on October 12, 1792. The event was organized by the The Society of St. Tammany (also known as the Columbian Order) to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the arrival of Columbus in the New World.

In 1866, the Italian residents of New York City organized the first celebration of the discovery. This was followed in 1869 by a similar event put together by Italians living in San Francisco. They called their commemoration "C-Day".

The first official celebration of Columbus Day took place on October 12, 1892, the 400th anniversary of the landing of Columbus in the Bahamas. President Benjamin Harrison issued a proclamation, calling on American citizens to mark this important event. Festivities of all kinds were organized across the country in response. It was at one such event that the Pledge of Allegiance was recited for the first time in public by it's writer/creator, Francis Bellamy.

The Knights of Columbus, a Roman Catholic fraternal organization began a long lobbying effort to make October 12 an official, legal holiday in the United States. Colorado was the first state to designate it as such, doing so on April 1, 1907. They were followed in 1909 by New York.

The holiday has been celebrated nationwide every year since 1920. In 1937, President Franklin Roosevelt proclaimed that every October 12th would be Columbus Day. In 1971, President Richard Nixon declared the second monday of October a national holiday.

Though it's been awhile since I have been in school, Columbus Day was an official school holiday in California at least from some point in the 1960's, if not before, until somewhere in the late 1970's to early 1980's. My grandparents belonged to an Italian club in Los Angeles, and the club always participated in the Columbus Day parade held in downtown L.A. Unfortunately, during the late 1980's, early 1990's, the parade organizers began to minimize the role of Italian Americans in the event in an effort to make it more inclusive for primarily the Mexican American and Native American population.

I may be mistaken, and someone feel free to correct me, but I believe the City of Los Angeles no longer refers to the celebration as Columbus Day. Rather they celebrate it as "The Day of the Race" which commemorates the first meeting of Europeans and Native Americans.

I went to LAUSD beginning in the late 1960s all through the 1970s until 1981 and Columbus Day was never a holiday.

[Astoriahoney]

I feel like it's more popular in the Bay Area, even among hispanics in the region that have Italian ancestry.

Yet I believe they may have changed it to the Italian Festival which is what I should have been called.

[expatCA]

Originally Posted by wehotex

No offense, but why is columbus considered to be a hero? he brought on nothing but annihilation of civilizations and brutality here in the western hemisphere. seriously.

Yep, why not still have the peaceful Aztecs and Incas and Mayans and their removal of living hearts from sacrifices.

Mind you the Spanish who did them in were not much better.

Now how about "Discoverer's Day" which would cover Indians (who came across the Bearing Straits), Vikings and ... Europeans and maybe even Egyptians or Phoenicians all of whom visited.

Europeans were just the last group and Columbus never landed in North America.

[majoun]

Originally Posted by expatCA

Yep, why not still have the peaceful Aztecs and Incas and Mayans and their removal of living hearts from sacrifices.

Mind you the Spanish who did them in were not much better.

Now how about "Discoverer's Day" which would cover Indians (who came across the Bearing Straits), Vikings and ... Europeans and maybe even Egyptians or Phoenicians all of whom visited.

Europeans were just the last group and Columbus never landed in North America.

That's what they call Columbus Day in Hawaii

[seain dublin]

Originally Posted by majoun

Columbus Day not being a holiday in California has nothing to do with multiculturalism or Aztlanism. According to my family, Columbus Day wasn't a holiday in California even in the pre-PC 1940s/50s. It has more to do with the state's Italian-American population being lower than and not as powerful as in the Northeastern or Great Lakes states than any Native American consciousness.

Exactly. Except for places like NYC and Boston, it isn't celebrated.

[majoun]

Originally Posted by seain dublin

Exactly. Except for places like NYC and Boston, it isn't celebrated.

It used to be celebrated strongly in San Francisco. Not as much in L.A. and not as a state holiday.