At Mariposa we like to say Happy Indigenous People's Day!
In reading about today's history, I learned that many Italian Americans celebrate t
heir heritage and culture on this day. That seems appropriate since President Benjamin Harrison declared Oct. 13, 1892 Columbus Day to appease the Italian government. Two years earlier, a white police chief in New Orleans was murdered. At least 45 Italians from the community were arrested. After the first nine were tried, there was so little evidence that all were either acquitted or granted mistrials. However, they were not released but returned to confinement, and on March 14, 1891, a brutal mobbed stormed the prison and lynched 11 Italian immigrants. Soon after, the Italian consul left the U.S., and then the U.S. recalled its diplomat from Rome. Tensions remained high and there were rumors of war. In fact, President Harrison even called for the protection of foreign nationals from mob violence in his 1891 State of the Union address, and eventually Congress agreed to compensate the families of the victims. Although Columbus Day did not become an official annual holiday until 1934, President Harrison declared the day on the 400th anniversary of Columbus's discovery of a land already inhabited by nations of indigenous peoples.
Whether you are celebrating your ancestry, remembering those who were here first, or just enjoying the day off, today is about the legacy of those who have gone before us. Happy Indigenous People's Day from Mariposa to you!
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