There has also been frequent criticism that claim Columbus was not the first to discover America. The CSJ recognizes the existence of evidence that numerous individuals may have reached the Americas prior to Columbus, including Vikings, Africans, Chinese, Jews, and the British. Columbus' landing on the Americas was the beginning of prolonged and continuous contact between the Old World and the New World. The CSJ profoundly regrets any harm done to innocent people or to the environment as the result of European discoveries and eventually settlements in the New World. He added that Columbus serves as an important symbol of courage, ingenuity, creativity, and the strength of the human spirit for Italian Americans.
All human endeavors are necessarily flawed.
The CSJ has called for universal temperance, fairness, and balance on the part of those who would use the Columbus celebrations to exploit and promote, for political or other purposes, the real or perceived shortcomings of Columbus, his discoveries, and the consequences of his actions. Founded in 1905, OSIA represents one-half million members throughout the United States. All Rights Reserved. Site design by Vizual, Inc.