If Columbus Day were really a celebration of the beginning of the European destruction of the native civilizations of the Americas, no one would celebrate it.

The courage of Columbus, and even his own life and acts are not the point.

Even the recognition that without its beginning, the country I know and love, America, would not be here is not enough. Even that I would not be here is not enough. Despite that, I could not celebrate the destruction and genocide that ensued.

The full-scale invasion of the Americas—and of course these lands were not discovered since the people living here certainly knew they were here—would not be permitted today. Indeed, no one would even imagine doing such a thing.

If Columbus Day were renamed Colonization Day, there would be no statues.

But that is not what Columbus Day now is. Columbus Day has grown into Italian American Day, a day to celebrate the amazing contributions of Italian-Americans to America. And that I can celebrate with all my heart.