Italian American and Indigenous groups show solidarity ahead of Columbus Day

With Columbus Day just a few days away, an Italian American group and a Native American organization came together in Daley Plaza to celebrate their respective histories.

Members of the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans, which holds the annual Columbus Day parade, and the Native American Guardians Association stood together Friday morning to defend one another, dance together and watch the annual Italian flag-raising ceremony.

The event came as Christopher Columbus' status as a cultural figurehead has come under fire in recent years for the land theft and genocide of Indigenous peoples in his time. Supporters say he represents a critical part of Italian American culture.

Chicago removed two statues of Columbus in 2020, one in Arrigo Park and another in Grant Park, after activists attempted to forcibly remove them amid the racial reckoning that followed the killing of George Floyd. The removals were meant to be temporary, but they have not been reinstated since.

Joint Civic Committee President Ron Onesti told the Sun-Times before the event that, after intense court-ordered settlement discussions with the City and Park District, he expects there may be an announcement in the next few weeks on a solution concerning the statues. Onesti did not provide any further details on what the announcement may look like.

The mayor’s office did not respond immediately for a request for comment on any pending announcement.

At the start of the event, Onesti acknowledged the heated rhetoric around Columbus Day weekend, with a plea to move on based on the example the Italian and Native American associations were showing.

“It’s time that we come together, and it’s time that we listen to each other,” he said. “We must learn from history, and as we respectfully open conversation with members of the Native American community, we learn their true concerns.”

Onesti said that dialogue has allowed both Italian and Native Americans who have participated to learn about each other’s traditions and be respectful of them, including Columbus Day.

Others who attended were Italy’s Consul General for Chicago Mario Alberto Bartoli, Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs and Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas. All praised the open dialogue between the Italian American and Indigenous organizations.

Frank Blackcloud, vice president of the Guardians Association, said after the event his organization and the Italian American community connected because of their shared goal to preserve history.

“They want to keep their culture alive,” the Spirit Lake Tribe member said. “You can’t erase history. You need to remember history and where everyone came from.”

The Guardians Association does that by encouraging Indigenous imagery in popular culture, like sports teams, which have also been criticized in recent years. The group sued the Washington Commanders last year to try to change the team's name back to the Redskins. Blackcloud made a direct connection between his organization’s fight to defend that imagery, which he said promotes their culture and visibility, and the Italian American fight to defend Columbus iconography.

However, other Indigenous advocacy groups are more skeptical of the Guardians Association’s position. Dorene Wiese, president of the American Indian Association of Illinois, said that criticizing celebrating Columbus isn't attacking Italian American heritage.

“It’s not about that we’re trying to discredit the Italian people, it’s that this one person was responsible for bringing a lot of death and terror to thousands of people around the world,” the White Earth Band of Ojibwe member said. “We try to educate people about the true history.”

But Blackcloud also believes he’s telling the “true history” when he says that Columbus has been unfairly villainized.

Blackcloud and other indigenous people will be participating in the Columbus Day parade on Monday. Onesti thinks people are ready to stop debating and start listening, even though other groups are still opposed to celebrating Columbus.

“I think everybody really is done fighting,” he said. “Now is the time to show unity, caring and communication. We want to come together.”