As Chicago marks Italian American Heritage Month, a growing call emerges to move past Christopher Columbus and embrace figures who better reflect the community’s values and history.
The smell of fresh cannolis at D’Amatos and the sounds of tombola at the Maria SS Lauretana Society are the traditions that truly define Italian American life for many in Chicago. Yet, every October, this pride is overshadowed by a figure who many say no longer deserves the pedestal: Christopher Columbus.
For decades, the explorer has been held up as a symbol of Genoese achievement, rooted in the 1492 voyage. But for those questioning this legacy, the myth is unraveling. Columbus never set foot on the North American mainland, reaching the Bahamas on Oct. 12, and his arrival sparked a devastating campaign of enslavement, violence, and disease against the Taino people. To critics. the elevation of a man who oversaw a reign of terror is fundamentally incompatible with the pride of a community that has spent generations fighting against stereotypes of organized crime. from the Corleones to Al Capone.
The tension hit a local boiling point when the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans declared a “victory” regarding the Columbus statue removed from Arrigo Park during the pandemic. Plans are now in motion to display that statue inside the Florence Scala Italian American Museum in Little Italy. Leaders behind the move describe the statue as an “icon of faith and hope.”.
However, the community is not a monolith. The debate reflects a broader shift that gained momentum in 2021. when President Joe Biden issued the first-ever presidential proclamation for Indigenous Peoples’ Day. This acknowledgment honors the original inhabitants of this land. whose influence is etched into Chicago’s very geography—from the diagonal paths of Milwaukee and Archer avenues. which trace ancient Native American trails. to the names of the city and Milwaukee themselves.
If the goal is to celebrate the contributions of Italian immigrants. there are figures whose legacies were built on service rather than conquest. Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini, the first U.S. citizen to be canonized by the Catholic Church, stands out as a preeminent example. Cabrini founded schools. hospitals. and orphanages. including the former Columbus Hospital in Lake View and the Near North Side Assumption School. Plans are already underway to place a statue of Cabrini in the vacant space at Arrigo Park. marking a symbolic transition.
As Italian American Heritage and Culture Month continues, institutions like the Italian Cultural Institute, which recently moved to 150 N. Michigan Ave., and the Florence Scala Italian American Museum provide space for reflection. The question facing the community is whether to keep looking backward at a controversial explorer or to shift toward figures like Dante. Leonardo da Vinci. Michelangelo. Galileo. or Maria Montessori.
For those looking for a different path this October 12, the National Shrine of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini in Lake View offers an alternative: a chance to honor an immigrant who built a legacy of compassion in the city.
Christopher Columbus Italian American heritage Chicago Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini Arrigo Park Indigenous Peoples' Day