Providence councilor pens Columbus Day-change protest
12:23 PM Fri, Apr 17, 2009 | Permalink
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PROVIDENCE, R.I. --City politicians of Italian descent are still irate over Brown University's decision to drop any reference in the school's academic calendar to "Columbus Day" in favor of something more mundane: "Fall Weekend." City Councilor Nicholas Narducci, who represents the Charles neighborhood in the city's northern end, sent a letter of protest to Brown University President Ruth J. Simmons on Wednesday, calling the move an attempt at "revisionist history." Narducci said that in setting out across the Atlantic Ocean, Columbus "contributed greatly" to a better understanding of "the Earth's dimensions" at a time when that was a subject of immense debate and speculation. "I am concerned that the 'alleged' improprieties of Christopher Columbus have become political fodder for a group of Native American students at the expense of a respected historical figure," Narducci said in his letter. Indigenous groups throughout the Americas have opposed celebrating Columbus Day as a national holiday since his voyages are credited as opening the door for European conquest and colonization that led to the decline of indigenous American cultures. Narducci's statement follows Mayor David N. Cicilline's public rebuke last week of Brown, his alma mater. Cicilline said in a statement that he objected to the university's decision because it diminished the accomplishments of an important historical figure for Italian Americans. He said that it was wrong for the university to "simply erase the celebration of an incredibly significant moment in world history and Italian-American culture for the sake of political correctness." Columbus was the Italian explorer whose voyages across the Atlantic Ocean in the late 15th and early 16th century led to widespread awareness of the American continents in Europe. His first voyage to the Americas, under the banner of Spain, was in 1492. Columbus Day is a federal holiday that has been celebrated on Oct. 12 in the U.S. since 1905. Other Latin American countries also recognize the holiday but with different names. Not all U.S. states and cities recognize it as a legal holiday.
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What a slap in the face by some rich kids from Brown who appear to be Paris Hilton wanna be's!!
I would tell them to move to Mass. I heard there is a vacant lot that used to be called Plymouth Rock.
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What a slap in the face by some rich kids from Brown who appear to be Paris Hilton wanna be's!!
I would tell them to move to Mass. I heard there is a vacant lot that used to be called Plymouth Rock.
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I'm glad Brown University recieved this type of publicity. Maybe now residents of R.I. can expirience how these clowns operate. It's something the residents of Providence have dealt with for years. Why don't we worry less about how they celebrate Columbus Day and demand that Brown University pay taxes to help out with the state's deficit? These people at Brown University remind me of characters from Scoobie Doo. Zoinks! They're all freaks Scoob.
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Brown University is shameful. This attempt to whitewash history makes them look like the educational institution of the 3rd Reich and not of egalitarian America.
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Ok here is how i see this america is a sham anyway, people that live here as far as i'm concerned are all immigrants, except Native people. Also not only should we get rid of columbus day, we should get rid of all white holidays that half to do with america. Native teenagers can't even go to school with traditonal clothing on without being laughed at because they haven't seen it before. Also one more thing that should be gotten rid of is the Cincinatti Reds and any other mascots that have to do with native people, unless however there are native people using them.
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