Keep the Purpose of the Columbus Day Holiday as A Rejection of Nativism, Xenophobia and Bigotry

Recognizing Columbus’ True Discovery Is No Slight against Indigenous Americans The federal and state holiday of Columbus Day has significance for all Americans because the European discovery of the Americas, which rejoined the two hemispheres of the world that had been separated since the Ice Age, led to the independence of most of the Americas, including the States of the American Union, and the freedoms that most inhabitants of the Western Hemisphere enjoy. But it also has particular significance well beyond the Italian-American community or American Catholics, as the current controversy over the holiday seems to imply. Columbus Day is not any slight against Indigenous Americans, but is a celebration of the contribution of all immigrants. A misunderstanding of the word discovery (“to uncover”) causes some people to believe that credit for a discovering anything belongs only to those who were first to discover anything and thus by crediting the Genoese navigator Christopher Columbus, the Indigenous Americans are somehow being slighted. Through his great navigational skills, Columbus, who had correctly theorized there was a large, inhabited landmass nearer to Europe than anyone else knew, lifted the cover that was the Atlantic Ocean and permanently reunited the two halves of the globe. He is also unquestionably credited with discovered a western and oceanic route to the Americas, among other scientific discoveries for which he is credited. Origin of the Columbus Day Holiday against Nativism, Xenophobia and Bigotry Because of nativism, xenophobia and racial and religious bigotry, the Ku Klux Klan particularly opposed the wave of mass immigration to America in the second half of the Nineteenth Century from Southern and Eastern Europeans (Catholic and Orthodox Christians) and Jews. Because of their hatred, American nativists began to promote the legend of the Viking discovery of the Americas before Columbus to minimize the essential role of the Southern European Catholic in American history. Though the Vikings deserve credit for discovering Greenland, at least, they did establish a permanent connection between the Eastern and Western Hemispheres like Columbus did. An Irish-American Catholic Priest with a ministry for immigrants led the effort that culminated in the foundation of the Columbus Day holiday as a recognition of the contribution of all immigrants to America, not only those who were white, northern European and Protestant. Thus, renaming the holiday for the Indigenous Americans takes away the appropriate purpose of Columbus Day, while Thanksgiving is the holiday to thank God for his bounty and the contributions of Indigenous Americans. Therefore, it is right to keep the holiday name of Columbus Day to credit the one who made the discovery and to honor the contributions of all immigrants, not only those of a certain race, ethnicity or religion. Nativist Trumpism Risks Tainting the Holiday, Instead of Recalling its True Meaning As I have posted, any conservative accomplishments of Donald Trump, which could have been achieved by a principled conservative Republican President, are tainted by his poor character and populism. And sometimes, one may do the right thing for the wrong reason. His promotion of Columbus Day amidst his nativist, inhumane, un-Christian and un-American policies against immigrants and refugees is contradictory to the intent of the holiday, which he seems to be attempting to use as a basis for his broader policy views, while the nativism, xenophobia and bigotry of many Trumpists is all-too familiar. Because Trump and his supporters thereby risk tainting the holiday as based upon bigotry and hatred against non-Europeans or non-Christians, it is especially necessary and timely to recall the true purpose of Columbus Day as a celebration of the contribution of immigrants and of love for fellow human beings who seek liberty in our land. May the Columbus Day holiday instead serve clearly again as intended as a rejection of nativism and xenophobia.