AFPI Celebrates Columbus Day

Washington, D.C. — This year’s celebration of Columbus Day should inspire reflection as much as celebration. The White House’s renewed commitment to honoring this day is a welcome affirmation, especially amid ongoing attempts to erase or overshadow it through efforts such as the concurrent observance of Indigenous Peoples' Day. Columbus Day, though historically rooted as a holiday for Italian-Americans, represents something far broader — the enduring values of faith, courage, and civilization that define the American spirit itself.

Christopher Columbus embarked on his perilous voyage “in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ,” driven by a vision of faith and discovery that would reshape the world. Sailing for the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he became a bridge between the Old and New Worlds, carrying with him the moral and philosophical foundations that gave rise to natural rights, law, liberty, and human dignity — the very cornerstones of Western civilization. The Left’s hostility toward Columbus and his legacy has always been, at its root, a hostility toward those very principles.

To honor Columbus is to honor the courage to explore, to believe, and to build. His flaws, like those of every man, pale beside the magnitude of his achievement and the civilization that flowed from it. Through his faith and determination, the New World was opened — a world that would one day give rise to the great republic we call home. We who live in the freedom and prosperity of that legacy have every reason for gratitude.

In 2025, let every Italian-American, every Hispanic, and yes, every American celebrate Columbus Day as a tribute to the spirit of discovery that still lives among us. The vision of Columbus — plus ultra, “more beyond” — did not end with one man. It lives on in the boldness, faith, and freedom of all who dare to seek.