Russo has worked with both the Trump and Biden administrations to preserve Columbus Day and highlight the holiday’s deep ties to Italian American history.
President Donald Trump welcomed Italian American leaders and luminaries to the White House on October 9th to celebrate Columbus Day and reaffirm its national significance.
Basil Russo, national president of Italian Sons and Daughters of America (ISDA), was invited in recognition of his direct role in facilitating the installation of the Baltimore Columbus statue on White House grounds this past spring and his ongoing legal efforts to preserve Columbus monuments and holidays nationwide.
Russo, who also leads the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations (COPOMIAO), joined fellow plaintiffs in filing a federal lawsuit in April seeking the return of a 22-foot Columbus statue to its place outside City Hall in Columbus, Ohio.
In his speech last month, President Trump advocated for the return of the statue, which was taken down in 2020 by city leaders amid civil unrest, saying: “We demand that Christopher Columbus be put back into the heart of Columbus, Ohio. We want it back in Columbus, Ohio.”
The lawsuit, filed by COPOMIAO National Counsel George Bochetto, has made significant headway, with further updates expected.
Read the 2026 Columbus Day Proclamation here.
“Columbus Day holds deep meaning for Italian Americans whose families worked and sacrificed to build a place in this nation,” Russo said. “We will continue working to preserve the monuments and traditions that honor that history and pass it on to future generations.”
Russo also met directly with the Biden Administration to offer guidance on the significant and often overlooked history binding the Italian American community to Columbus Day.
These efforts culminated in the 2022, 2023, and 2024 Columbus Day Proclamations — historically accurate federal documents tracing the struggles and rise of Italian American culture.
“The largest lynch mob ever to assemble on U.S. soil killed 11 innocent Italian immigrants in New Orleans in 1891, a shocking event that sparked global outrage,” said Russo. “To ease the crisis, then-U.S. President Benjamin Harrison declared the first national Columbus Day celebration in 1892, organizing a parade in NYC that drew over a million attendees — a remarkable turnout in a nation whose population stood at roughly 65 million at that time. That outpouring inspired generations of Italian Americans to build Columbus statues and hold parades, not to glorify conquest, but to establish their place in American society and honor their heritage. In celebrating Columbus Day, we observe our ancestors’ perseverance and sacrifice.”
For a complete examination of Columbus Day origins and history, read:
