Forget Columbus: Let's Remember Italian Radicals

Though he was from Genoa, Christopher Columbus didn’t sail for Italy. There was no “Italy” at the time the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria left a Spanish port. Italy wasn’t a country until 1861.

Then there’s the problem of the genocide that followed in his path.

I understand why Italian-Americans embraced Columbus. When we arrived in this country, we weren’t exactly greeted with open arms, any more than any other immigrants. There were NINA (No Italian Need Apply) notices in store windows, as well as lynchings in the South, where we were considered nonwhite.

The bulk of Italian immigration was from the south of Italy where 1500 years of colonialism left the peasants dirt poor. Many anarchists were among those who left the poverty to seek a better life. Here in America they became involved in the labor struggle and the many worker strikes of the early 20th century.

Two of their comrades, Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, were framed for the alleged murder of two payroll clerks. During their trial, Judge Thayer referred to them as “Dagos,” a derogatory name for Italians. Though worldwide support emerged for them, Sacco and Vanzetti were found guilty and executed in 1927.

Read More