In a significant victory for Italian American advocacy groups, all cities and towns across New Hampshire are now required by state law to officially recognize Columbus Day.

House Bill 1014, signed by Gov. Chris Sununu, mandates that all school districts and municipalities must reference the navigator’s holiday in all official communications, publications and documents.

The law, which went into effect on Sept. 10, serves as a rebuke to several N.H. seacoast communities that had passed local legislation recognizing Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

This past March, the New Hampshire House Executive Departments and Administration Committee voted 14-1 to deem HB1335, the bill proposing the elimination of Columbus Day, “inexpedient to legislate.” The committee recommended to the full house chamber that the bill to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day be rejected, effectively killing the legislation. Prominent state lawmakers, including Sen. Lou D’Allesandro and Rep. Susan Porcelli, testified against the bill at the time.

 

Columbus abolishment legislation grinds to a halt in Massachusetts 

Meanwhile, two bills that were advancing through the Massachusetts House and Senate, seeking to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day, are now dead-on-arrival thanks to a viral petition spearheaded by affiliates of the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations (COPOMIAO).

ISDA / COPOMIAO President Basil M. Russo, along with Tom Damigella of the Italian American Alliance and Andre DiMino of the Italian American One Voice Coalition, led the grassroots effort, which inundated lawmakers’ email inboxes with petitions.

“We support mutual respect among all ethnicities and races, but this type of erase-and-replace legislation — which is resonating less and less with a majority of Americans — unfairly pits one group against another,” said Russo. “We want an equitable solution for all, and we’ll continue with our successful advocacy and legal efforts to help achieve a compromise.”

 

Columbus statue saved in Pittsburgh 

This past April, in a bombshell appeal decision, the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania voted 7-0 to overturn the dismissal of a lawsuit that was filed by Italian Sons and Daughters of America (ISDA) to block the planned removal of Pittsburgh’s Columbus statue.

In a 24-page opinion, the Commonwealth judges stated that a lower court had “erred” in dismissing the case in 2022 and that Pittsburgh City Hall does not have “…’free reign’ to act as it pleases in defiance of the law.”

The reinstated case will now go back before Judge John T. McVay, Jr. of the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas “for further factfinding and decision,” per the opinion.

 

Columbus’ history 

Opponents of Columbus statues and holidays often assume that the parades and monuments represent colonialism or enslavement. Ironically, the navigator’s likeness was initially embraced to promote greater acceptance of early immigrants to our country.

In 1892, U.S. President Benjamin Harrison organized the first national Columbus Day parade in New York City, aiming to ease a diplomatic crisis between the U.S. and Italy. This crisis arose a year earlier when the largest lynch mob in American history murdered 11 innocent Italian immigrants in the streets of New Orleans.

President Harrison’s NYC parade, which drew more than a million attendees, inspired Italian Americans throughout the 1900s to create Columbus statues and hold parades across the U.S., symbolizing their drive for assimilation.

Today, the holiday honors Italian American pride and heritage.

Over the past two years, Russo and his Italian American peers have worked directly with White House officials to develop Columbus Day proclamations that explore the history behind the holiday.

See the 2022 and 2023 White House Columbus Day Proclamations for further context.

 

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