Wednesday, October 08, 2003
"Dump Columbus" Performance in SF
Organized by one of Us
The ANNOTICO Report
It bothers me when Native Americans and Hispanics intentionally distort
the Columbus legacy to further their political agenda, with nary a pang
of conscience.
But it really hurts when a fellow Italian American shows such ignorance
of the Columbus story, and not only falls "prey" to such propaganda,
but takes an active
part in attacking Columbus!!
The organizer of this so called Italian American event is Tommi
Avicolli Mecca, who insists that the world know that he is a radical
queer activist.
I understand Tommi's admiration for Sacco & Vanzetti, but I wonder
what other "Italian American" event he has ever organized before.
Perhaps his first, becomes
an attack on an important Italian American Icon, whose recognition came
only a
long hard fought battle, and was crucial to the Italian Americans
feeling "accepted".
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CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS' HERO STATUS ON SHAKY GROUND
As reported by VirtualItalia
Italian/American writers and performers will take to the stage to
proclaim, "Dump Columbus, Long Live Sacco and Vanzetti," next week in
San Francisco. The performance will celebrate Italian/American pride
and the real heroes of
Italian/American history, while denouncing the legacy of Columbus, a
conquistador who sailed for Spain and has been credited with
"discovering" America.
What, in fact, Columbus discovered was a land already inhabited by many
indigenous peoples, say organizers. Tommi Avicolli Mecca, an
organizer of the event, believes in ethnic pride but not pride focused
on Columbus.
"As a radical queer southern Italian/American activist, I don't
identify at all with Columbus but rather with the legacy of such
southern Italian radicals as Sacco and Vanzetti who stood up for the
common man and struggled for justice for workers. They give me pride in
being southern Italian American." A donation will be requested but no
one will be turned away for lack of funds.