LYNN — Michael Victoriano won’t be celebrating Columbus Day.
The owner of Victorious Barbers on Union Street said his ancestors were victimized by the legacy of Christopher Columbus.
“My parents are from the Dominican Republic and 90 percent of the native population on the island were murdered at his hands,” he said. “When Columbus and the Europeans came to the Caribbean that’s when a lot of bad things started to happen.”
Victoriano wants Lynn to join a growing list of cities that have replaced Columbus Day, a federal holiday in 1937, with Indigenous Peoples Day.
“I don’t think Columbus should be celebrated at all,” he said. “When Columbus went out into the world, it wasn’t to make friends, it was to conquer and take over at all costs.”
While the issue has not come before the Lynn City Council, governing bodies in Los Angeles, Seattle, Albuquerque, San Francisco, and Denver have abandoned Columbus Day in favor of natives day. Closer to home, Bangor voted last month to rename the holiday.
Supporters say honoring Columbus on the second Monday in October glorifies colonization, racism and genocide. They argue the Genoese explorer brought death, disease, and slavery when he colonized the Caribbean for Spain, and should not be hailed as a hero.
But Columbus supporters say efforts to end his holiday reeks of political correctness. They insist he is an important part of Italian American heritage.
Carlo Caponigro, president of the Lynn Italian American Citizens Club, said Columbus Day should remain, if only to celebrate Italians.
“Look, Columbus lived more than 500 years ago and I’m sure the story has changed many times,” he said. “I just know I was raised to celebrate Columbus Day because I’m a proud Italian. I don’t know about the rest. I do know Italians have contributed more to this country than anyone else and built half of this nation.”
Joseph Spina, co-host of Frankly Speaking, a talk show on Lynn Community Television, said the effort to rename Columbus Day should be stopped.
“Isn’t humanity better off today as a consequence of whatever took place by the explorers,” he said. “The real question is: Did the Age of Exploration benefit mankind or not.”
He argues the world is better off post exploration.
“The movement to eradicate Columbus Day is based on a shabby sense of history,” he said “Time goes on.”
