Columbus Day Parade celebrates Italian heritage and what unites Americans

Ron Lucarini has said for years he wanted to go to Chicago's Columbus Day parade.

The Chicago Heights resident, the son of an Italian father and an Italian American mother, finally made it this year to celebrate "everything that the Italian Americans did for this country.

“I like it when I’m with a group like this, and you hear people talking Italian,” he said. “It makes you want to go back to Italy.”

Thousands of Chicagoans celebrated Italian American heritage in the Loop on Monday at the annual Columbus Day Parade, organized by the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans.

Singer-songwriter Paul Anka, one of the grand marshals, drew gasps and cheers from the crowd.

As paradegoers waved Italian flags along the parade route, they watched floats, marching bands, dancers and singers march down State Street.

At the ceremony before the parade, Joint Civic Committee President Ron Onesti declared that everyone in the crowd was Italian, no matter their true background.

This year's theme for the parade was “bridging gaps, celebrating our heritage, and protecting our culture.”

“We’re fighting to keep our heritage and culture alive, but we’re doing it peacefully,” Onesti said before the parade started. “And remember today we’re Italian Americans, Native Americans, Polish Americans, African Americans, Asian Americans, what is the common denominator? We are all Americans.”

That spirit of unity was in contrast to the divisiveness that Columbus Day and the legacy of Christopher Columbus have generated in recent years. Critics say his legacy is that of land theft and genocide of Indigenous people, while supporters say he’s a critical part of Italian American and American heritage.

Shades of the debate were present at the parade.

Anka performed an updated rendition of "My Way," which he wrote for Frank Sinatra. The song, originally released in 1969, referenced Lake Michigan, the White Sox, and statues of Columbus that were removed from two Chicago Parks in 2020, the New York Post reported.

“You’re going to get those statues back,” Anka sang.

One parade participant on a float held a sign that read “Return Columbus now!”

The Joint Civic Committee and the Native American Guardians Association worked together for this parade to show mutual respect and with a commitment to protect each other’s histories, leaders of both organizations said at a news conference Friday. Members of the tribal nations represented by the Guardians Association were featured in the parade Monday.

However, the Chicago American Indian Community Collaborative said the Native American Guardians Association doesn’t speak for Chicago-area Indigenous people.

“The Chicago and Illinois Native American community does not support the recognition of Columbus Day nor the work of the Native American Guardians Association in representing our local interest,” the statement said.

But the show of unity was in full force at the parade. “I can feel the spirit of this day, which is a spirit of togetherness, of being together, of moving together, open to other communities,” said Italy Consul General to Chicago Mario Alberto Bartoli at the kickoff event.

For Madia Crudele, the parade can be summed up with one word: community.

An Italian American from northwest suburban Harwood Heights, Crudele told the Sun-Times that the day is about celebrating her parents and grandparents who emigrated from Italy and keeping their culture and traditions alive. It’s also a moment for her to celebrate their shared culture with fellow Italian Americans.

“I rely on the community,” Crudele said. “Community is important. It brings you happiness. … Culture is beautiful. It should be celebrated no matter what you are.”