SEASIDE HEIGHTS, N.J.—A grand Columbus Day Parade was held on Oct. 9 in the beach resort borough of Seaside Heights to honor the Italian community and protest the cancellation of Italian heritage and culture.
Colorful floats, the Italian flag, the American flag, marching bands, musical groups, waist drummers, and dignitaries filled the streets to celebrate the ethnic culture festival.
“It’s our biggest crowd ever,” the event committee Chairman Michael Blandina told The Epoch Times, “We have 19 bands, probably about 70 different organizations.”
Around 13 Italian-American organizations came to show their support and solidarity. Some participants came all the way from Italy.
Among the visiting revelers were representatives of the Italian State Police.
“We bring them from Italy … It’s a pleasure to have them here because they bring back our heritage and our spirit that we fight for our country, for what we believe and what we stand for,” Ocean County Sheriff Foundation President Jerry Bove told The Epoch Times.
“We are here to represent our culture,” said John Capodanno of the Italian State Police, “We are here in front of a lot of people, the Italian flag and the American flag ... when we pass, it was an incredible emotion.”
Other groups, such as the Falun Dafa waist drummers from New York, joined the parade to share their Chinese traditions with the community.
Enjoying the diversity of the parade, Blandina said, “This is a great Chinese group. We hope they have more and more each year. We want to show our support for them like they’re showing support for us.”
“It’s wonderful. Proud to be an American and Italian descendant,” Carol Greco, a retired teacher and parade watcher, told The Epoch Times. “It’s time to have fun and enjoy the culture. The heritage and the contribution should be celebrated. Also, recognize the errors and mistakes and try to find a way to reconcile them.”
Controversy Surrounding Columbus Statue and Columbus Day
There have been many debates in recent years surrounding the Columbus statue and Columbus Day.The City of Philadelphia on Monday commemorated Indigenous Peoples Day. Reframing the annual celebration, Mayor Jim Kenney declared last year that the holiday would be known as Indigenous Peoples Day in Philadelphia and will no longer be recognized as Columbus Day.
A 145-year-old statue of Christopher Columbus in South Philadelphia’s Marconi Plaza has been covered with a plywood box for about two and a half years. The statue’s future is uncertain, depending on the outcome of a legal battle between the city and the Friends of Marconi Plaza.
After a years-long battle, a judge in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, recently declared that Pittsburgh officials are free to remove the Christopher Columbus statue from Schenley Park. The statue was erected in 1958 and has remained wrapped in plastic for nearly two years. Mayor Ed Gainey’s office said the administration was “reviewing the opinion and looking at the next steps moving forward.”
Camden, New Jersey, removed the Columbus statue from Farnham Park in June 2020.
Statues of Columbus have been removed or vandalized in many other cities across the country, including in Richmond, Virginia; St. Paul, Minnesota; Miami, and Boston, where one was decapitated.
Many Italian Americans want the Columbus statue and Columbus Day to stay. They see it as a source of pride, while opponents say it’s a divisive reminder of the past and a racist landmark.
“It takes away from everything we’re talking about, the contributions of Italians and what they’re doing,” Philadelphia city councilmember Mark Squilla, an Italian-American, told The Epoch Times last year.
“Why would you take that day away from a group of people and give it to another group of people,” Squilla argued.
Parade-Goers: Keep Italian Heritage and Culture Alive
Columbus Day is a federal holiday in the United States. Many parade attendees said it’s about families, friends, and culture. They told The Epoch Times they are against cancel culture and will “keep fighting to protect their heritage and culture.”“It’s very important to keep Italian heritage alive before it’s forgotten. Our children must remember this beautiful culture, food, and nationality,” said Alan Floria, Unico National’s District Governor and Chapter President of Brick, New Jersey, the country’s most prominent Italian-American service organization.
“You’ve got to keep the traditions going. Otherwise, no one will know years down the road how important these days are,” said Nancy Hayes, a clerk in the mayor’s office in Edgewater, New Jersey. “Every time you remove a statue, whether it represents good or bad, you’re taking history away. And how will anyone learn if you remove history?”
Bove believes no country or race “should ever be ignored for whatever reason.” He said: “It doesn’t matter what country we’re from. We’re all one because, at the end of the day, we are in this country. We’re all Americans.”
Blandina vowed to “keep Columbus Day going on forever.” He said it’s time to move Italian heritage and culture forward like other nationalities.
“We’re not against anybody’s [holidays], while we’re against them trying to attack Italian heritage and culture,” he said, “We deserve a holiday as everybody else deserves theirs. We’re not saying take away anybody else’s holiday, but give us our day. It’s Columbus Day.”
“You can’t remove history. History is here forever,” the event chairman continued. “Columbus discovered America. Columbus Day is something to stay and something to celebrate.”
