Dear Editor:
In your local Hudson Reporter you listed October as “Latin Heritage Month”, but you did not mention a single word about October being “Italian Heritage Month.”
I’d like to remind you of history: 1) We celebrate Columbus’ voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that initiated the European exploration and colonization of the Americas. Again, we do not celebrate the man and his “exploits” that have been reinvented in recent history – whether one agrees or disagrees with the “political correctness” of modern revisionism; but, historical researchers all agree to the following: The day was first celebrated in Argentina in 1917, Venezuela in 1921, Chile in 1923, Colombia in 1921 and Mexico in 1928. In Chile, the holiday is known as ‘DÃa del Descubrimiento de Dos Mundos’ and is celebrated on 12 October. In Colombia, named after Christopher Columbus, this day has been a public holiday since 1921 and is known as ‘El dia de Cristobal Colon’. In Honduras, the day is known as ‘Discovery of America’ day. In Mexico it is known as Dia de la Raza (The Day of the Races) and is always celebrated on 12 October.
Thank you,
John Amato