Friends,
We are still waiting to confirm the time and location of the committee hearing regarding the 2 Anti-Columbus Day bills, tentatively scheduled for October 3, 2023 at the State House.
In the meantime, however, you can still help.
Please take a moment to email the members of the committee and respectfully let them know you are OPPOSED to replacing Columbus Day as a state holiday.
Below, we have provided the emails for the committee members as well as a sample email to send them.
Simply copy and paste them into your email system.
We are also looking for people to give live testimony at the hearing as well as those willing to submit formal written testimony to the committee. If you are interested in doing so, please let us know. We will give instructions on how to sign up as soon as they are given to us by the committee.
Thank you,
The IAA
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The emails for the committee members are:
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Suggested sample email:
Subject: Bill H2989/S1976 To replace Columbus Day with IPD
Dear Committee Members,
I am writing to you regarding the pending bills to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day as a State Holiday.
I believe Italian-Americans should be recognized and respected by not taking Columbus Day away from them as a State Holiday. No other group is expected to have their day merged with another group’s. It is disrespectful both to Italian Americans as well as the Native American communities. It is not only important to Italian Americans, but has also been a proud part of America history and tradition.
There has been much misinformation circulating in the past few decades regarding the history of Christopher Columbus, and in a misguided effort to be inclusive and sensitive to all cultures, this bill produces the opposite effect - it foments exclusion and resentment, especially among Italian-Americans, who have struggled for decades to be accepted into the American national life.
I urge you to not support this Bill and keep Columbus Day as is. I also suggest that the day after Thanksgiving be recognized as Native American Heritage Day and that the entire month of November be Native American Heritage Month as already declared by proclamation by the Federal Government. There is also the option of recognizing August 9th which is already designated by the United Nations since 1999 as Indigenous Peoples Day. Both groups deserve to preserve and protect their cultural heritage and it isn’t fair to take away one people’s holiday and replace it with another, especially when there are other available days appropriate for celebration.
Very Respectfully,
(YOUR NAME)