By Kristen Wyatt
The Sons of Italy's Columbus Day Parade Committee in Denver was shocked to learn of the e-mail sent to the media, which was signed by Sons of Italy President Richard SaBell. The fake e-mail said protesters had "ruined" the event and tarnished the legacy of an Italian hero.
SaBell rushed to assure people the e-mail was a hoax after local media and The Associated Press started reporting Saturday's parade was off. He said he reported the phony e-mail to Denver police.
"I feel violated," said SaBell, adding he didn't know who was behind the hoax. "This whole thing is bogus. The parade was never off."
So SaBell feels "violated" because his parade was almost ruined? Boo-flippin'-hoo! Natives feel violated because the parade celebrates the man who began killing and enslaving their ancestors. Who cares what SaBell feels compared to that?
Maybe Italian Americans are so vehement about celebrating Columbus because he represents them so well. Yes, Columbus was the epitome of an Italian. He had the Indians whacked when they didn't pay the "vig" he demanded.
For more on the subject, see "Increasingly Anti-Indian" Parade and No Columbus Day Protests.
I found your site while looking for an appropriate picture for a gag headline about Native American disapproval of "Discoverers' Day" (nothing disrespectful, though).
ReplyDeleteI have gone through a whole bunch of your posts from 2007 and 2009 and I have found them very informative. It's amazing how disrespectful mainstream White American is toward Native Americans and how that disrespect is an acceptable part of the landscape.
Anyway, great site. Keep up the good work.