The Town of Huntington will host its first Huntington Italian-American Heritage and Culture Month Celebration on Monday.
The event will mark the history, culture and achievements of Huntington’s Italian-American community.
Town Board Member Sal Ferro, a self-described proud Italian American who last month sponsored a measure establishing the event, said he’s excited about an opportunity to celebrate the contributions Italians have made to American culture through visual arts, literature, food and sports.
Ferro said he wanted to focus on all Italian American contributions and not have the event attached to one person, Christopher Columbus. He’s recognized with a holiday on the second Monday of the month, which this year is Oct. 13.
“The only time people think about Italian Americans is Columbus Day, and that day for some people over the last decade or so has changed and is no longer a positive day,” Ferro said, referring to evolving views of Columbus from discoverer of lands to colonizer and conqueror.
“I’m not anti-Columbus, but I thought, let’s not attach it to a specific individual but just make it an opportunity to recognize all of the contributions of Italian Americans to society.”
In 2021, President Biden issued a proclamation calling on Americans to also use the day to celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day to honor “our diverse history and the Indigenous peoples who contribute to shaping this Nation.” For the most part, Long Island school district calendars recognize Columbus Day, but a handful include Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Newsday has reported.
Ferro said the event, at Heckscher Park, will include a flag raising, music and refreshments.
Robert Fonti, the president of the nonprofit Italian American Action committee, which has a mission of supporting Italian American heritage, language and culture, said he was looking forward to the town’s celebration centered on Italian American pride.
“The Italian community and our association are extremely excited to join residents, Italian Americans or not, because if you come, we’re going to adopt you for the day,” Fonti said.
“We want to share our culture, our food, our love of life and our heritage with everyone on that day. On Monday everyone is an Italian American.”
According to the U.S. Census Bureau website’s 2020 county-level findings, Suffolk County had the largest Italian population in the U.S., at 360,345.
For the past 20 years, Huntington has hosted a Columbus Day Parade, Fonti said. But this year, the parade will be held on Oct. 11 in Deer Park in the Town of Babylon.
Fonti said his organization works as a liaison between the Long Island Columbus Day Parade Committee and the New York State Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America to organize a parade on Long Island. The parade was moved to spread the celebration around, he said.
One thing that will remain in Huntington is the Christopher Columbus statue that stands guard at the west entrance to downtown, Town Supervisor Ed Smyth said.
“It’s a reminder of all the contributions Italians have made to Huntington and our country in general,” he said.
While Monday’s event focuses on celebrating Italian American Heritage, it’s also a message of unity, both Ferro and Fonti said.
“Our country is made up of so many different cultures who have come in and shaped who we are,” Ferro said. “Here’s an opportunity to celebrate one background, and everyone is invited to join in.”
Fonti said his organization has been working with other nonprofits aimed at supporting the heritage of African Americans, and the Irish and Jewish communities.
“We need to work together and be united despite any political differences; this is about our heritage and our shared heritage,” he said.
The event will be held at 5 p.m. at Heckscher Park in downtown Huntington, near the flagpole adjacent to the Heckscher Museum of Art.
