WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) – It’s Columbus Day, a federal holiday that commemorates the landing of Italian navigator Christopher Columbus in the Americas in 1492.
The Italian American Club in Watertown raised the Italian flag on Monday to honor Columbus and the city’s Italian history.
The flag was raised at the club on Bellew Avenue, which happens to be right in Watertown’s Sand Flats neighborhood, where Italian immigrants settled when coming to the area.
“We raise the Italian flag to celebrate our heritage and to acknowledge all those who came before us, our grandparents and parents looking for a better world and they paved the way for us,” said Jim Scordo, club president.
Columbus Day has been a federal holiday since 1937.
As it has become increasingly controversial, some people celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day along with it, or instead of it.
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