It's federally Columbus Day, which over the years became an Italian American Pride sort of day. (Even though Columbus was officially representing Spain.)
But Columbus and especially his Day came to represent the European invasion that destroyed a continent of Native American/First Peoples cultures. (Though Columbus himself enslaved some Natives, Italians by and large weren't among the subsequent major invaders.)
In 1992, the 500th anniversary of Columbus' day, the new flowering of Native cultures came into beautiful full bloom and effectively hijacked the holiday. Which was a good thing. Now hereabouts at Humboldt State this has become Indigenous Peoples Week, and at various places elsewhere it's officially Indigenous Peoples Day.
But it's confused and in places there is still conflict. So maybe we need an Indigenous Peoples Day (or week or month) with cultural and educational events, speeches, parades and festivals, and an Italian American Pride day with cultural and educational events, speeches, parades and festivals, so we can have different days to appreciate these cultures and eat fry bread and, well, fried bread, which my (Italian) grandmother made.
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