First Columbus Day was a response to the lynching of 11 Sicilian immigrants by New Orleans vigilantes
Fox News
Columbus Day was first celebrated in 1892, a year after 11 Sicilian immigrants were lynched in New Orleans. Italian-Americans are fighting to preserve the story and their holiday.
The bodies of several victims "were laid out in a row ... and made a horrible sight as they lay weltering in blood and brains." The Italian Sons and Daughters of America (ISDA) is fighting the cancel-culture mob attempting to tear down statues of Christopher Columbus. "To help resolve the issue and curry favor with Italian American voters, U.S. President Benjamin Harrison held the first national Columbus Day celebration." — Basil Russo "We look at Columbus Day as a symbol of the strength and motivation we needed to overcome these obstacles and become assimilated into American society." — Basil Russo Leaders in Washington, D.C. appear to have taken notice of the Columbus Day origin story. "For so many people across our country, that first Columbus Day was a way to honor the lives that had been lost." — White House statement Kerry J. Byrne is a lifestyle reporter with Fox News Digital.
Other victims were hung and their dead or dying bodies desecrated.