Despite all the controversy that exists about what he did or did not discover, this week the accomplishments of
famous traveler Christopher Columbus are celebrated and acknowledged. The 61st Annual Columbus
Day Parade kicks off this morning in Manhattan, and countless other parades and festivals have taken place around the
country this past weekend.
There are plenty of resources available to learn more about the controversies surrounding Columbus. Here is one
recently released study from the Order of the Sons of Italy in America —
Columbus: Fact of Fiction that communicates one point
of view.
The John D. Calandra Italian American
Institute, associated with CUNY’s Queens College, is a great place to go to learn more about cultural and
historical events going on throughout the entire month of October, which is officially known as Italian Culture Month
in the US.