BY AIDAN GRAHAM
Brooklynites came together
on Oct. 9 for the borough’s
annual Columbus Day
parade, where local leaders
celebrated noteworthy Italian-
Americans for their extraordinary
contributions to New
York City.
“You can come to this country,
and can you participate in
this country. And one group
that personifi es that dictation
and that commitment are
the Italian Americans, in the
country — but specifi cally
in the borough of Brooklyn,”
said Brooklyn Borough President
and Democratic mayoral
nominee Eric Adams.
“When you spend 22 years
of your life wearing a bulletproof
vest protecting the children
and families of this city,
you know how important this
community is,” Adams continued.
The Beep was fl anked at the
Bensonhurst parade by fellow
politicos, such as local Councilmember
Justin Brannan,
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, and
Curtis Sliwa, Adams’ 2021 opponent
in the 2021 mayoral race.
The parade was organized by
the Federation of Italian-American
National Breast Cancer Awareness Month
COURIER L 8 IFE, OCTOBER 15-21, 2021
Organizations (FIAO),
which kicked off the gathering
two days before the offi cial Columbus
Day on Oct. 11.
“My grandparents, Giovanni
de Blasio and Anna
Briganti, came to America
with their culture and faith,”
tweeted Mayor Bill de Blasio.
“That faith was rewarded. I’ve
visited their hometowns in Italy.
Their values endure. Today
we celebrate the Italian
Americans who brought so
much to our country. Buona
Festa!”
Christopher Columbus has
become a hotly-debated topic
in recent years, with some
Brooklynites calling for the
removal of the 14th centuryera
explorer’s statue from
Downtown Brooklyn, which
was etched into stone in the
1860s, and erected outside the
local courthouse in 1971 with
the support of Mayor John
Lindsey.
“I am a Brooklynite who
has to do jury duty at that
court house…but I have to go
and serve justice in a building
that right in front of it has a
criminal, a historically awful
criminal — it is triggering every
time I walk by it,” said local
Brooklynite George Scott
at a meeting late last year.
Local New Yorkers point
to Columbus’ violent history
after arriving in North America
in 1492, which includes the
rape and murder of thousands
of indigenous people.
Many have taken to renaming
the day “Indigenous
People’s Day” to honor the
victims of Columbus’ genocide,
as well as the rich history
of native people and their
Above: The Honorable Fabrizio Di
Michele Council general of Italy in
New York (middle) poses with party
goers. Left: A group of women
show off their Italian fl ags.
Photos by Arthur De Gaeta
contributions to society.
Nevertheless, hundreds
of Brooklynites fl ew Italian
fl ags on Saturday as they
marked Columbus’ voyage
across the Ocean Blue and
celebrated the day, which has
become a de facto celebration
for the Italian-American community.
Brooklynites parade in
celebration of Columbus Day
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