By Mark Weyermuller, Opinion Contributor
Actor Tony Danza helped lead the annual Columbus Day Parade in downtown Chicago this past Monday as one of the grand marshals.
You might remember him from the popular TV shows Taxi and Who’s the Boss? Danza was also in town performing at the Des Plaines Theatre. The parade is sponsored by the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans (JCCIA).
The parade, named after Christopher Columbus, has faced controversy in recent years, with some pushing to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day. In July 2020, then-Mayor Lori Lightfoot ordered the removal of the Christopher Columbus statue that had stood for years near the corner of Columbus Drive and Roosevelt Road in Grant Park, not far from the Field Museum. The statue was removed in the middle of the night and has never been returned to its original location.
This year’s parade drew thousands of people to downtown Chicago, with marchers heading south on Dearborn Street starting at Wacker Drive. The opening ceremony featured parade director Ron Onesti, who owns the Des Plaines Theatre and the Arcada Theatre in St. Charles. The ceremony included a prayer, the Italian national anthem, the American national anthem and a few words from Tony Danza.
Noticeably absent from the parade were Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson. Only a handful of Chicago aldermen attended. John Kelly, a candidate for Chicago mayor, had a large group marching in the parade.
Illinois Republicans also had a strong showing, with a large group of supporters and candidates taking part. Near the front of the parade was Republican U.S. Senate candidate Don Tracy, marching with supporters.
Later in the parade, a decorated fire truck was joined by another large group of Republicans, including gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey, lieutenant governor candidate Aaron Del Mar, comptroller candidate Bryan Drew, 6th Congressional District candidate Niki Conforti, attorney general candidate Bob Fioretti, 35th District state representative candidate David Dewar and 18th District state representative candidate Pete Donaghue.
The parade was a celebration of Italian pride, something that remains strong throughout Chicago and the surrounding suburbs. It was a great day to celebrate Italian heritage, enjoy the parade and see so many people come together.
And as the saying goes, on Columbus Day, everybody is Italian!
