Seattle Italian-Americans launch ad campaign to combat Indigenous People’s Day

Seattle’s Italian-American community is running a full page ad in The Seattle Times Monday as part of its new effort to counter the city’s newly created Indigenous People’s Day.

Seattle Mayor Ed Murray plans to sign the measure replacing Columbus Day with the new commemoration Monday.

The City Council passed it unanimously last week over the objections of Italian-Americans, who argued creating the day in place of Columbus Day is an insult to their own heritage.

In response, members of Seattle’s Italian-American community announced the creation of a new political action committee targeting the councilmembers.

“The idea is to expose them,” said Frank Isernio, a local Italian-American businessman, in an interview with KIRO Radio’s Jason Rantz Show.

“They need to be aware they’ve got to be accountable,” he said.

Along with the ad, the newly formed group has launched a website and Facebook page, and plans an aggressive public relations campaign to lobby the city to create an official Italian-American heritage day, and move Indigenous People’s Day to another date.

“We’re not here to defend Columbus and accuse the indigenous people, we just want our day to celebrate and to take it away is very demeaning,” Isernio said.

The group is vowing to actively support candidates who agree with them and defeat those who don’t support their effort.

“The idea is to expose them,” Isernio said of the councilmembers who voted for Indigenous People’s Day.

While it is a federal holiday, the city has not previously recognized Columbus Day. The new designation will not create an official city holiday, but will encourage the celebration of indigenous peoples with a variety of events on the second Monday of October each year.

“I’ve yet to hear any rationale for selecting the second Tuesday in October. It’s definitely an activist city council looking to score political points,” Isernio said.

The ad appearing Monday in The Seattle Times reads “With a lineup like this you wouldn’t think the city of Seattle would disrespect its citizens of Italian ancestry,” and features famous Italians including Christopher Columbus, Guglielmo Marconi – the co-inventor of the radio, Bank of America founder A.P. Gianinni, Hall of Fame football coach Vince Lombardi, and others.

“While we of Italian heritage support the recognition of Native Americans,” the ad reads, “we take offense to it occurring on our traditional day of celebration.”