Columbus Day Legacy

Columbus Day Legacy explores the quintessential American issues of free speech and ethnic pride against the backdrop of the ongoing Columbus Day parade controversy in Denver, Colorado. Navajo filmmaker Bennie Klain takes viewers into this very personal yet very public conflict, asking tough questions about identity and history in America. Since 1992, the Denver Italian-American community has proudly and publicly celebrated Columbus Day with a revived parade—long a part of the city’s history—much to the dismay of the local American Indian Movement chapter who are equally determined to vilify the man credited with “discovering” America. The history of this annual parade is peppered with both verbal and physical violence, challenging ideas of political correctness and freedom of assembly. Both the Italian- and Native Americans are strong, vibrant, tight-knit communities—a point conveyed by the film as it uncovers conflicting notions of the freedom of speech, the interpretation of history and what it means to be an “American.”