New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani plans to skip the Christopher Columbus Day parade, according to the New York Post. The parade, set for October 12, is expected to draw tens of thousands of participants and 1 million spectators and is dubbed by its organizers as the world’s largest celebration of Italian-American heritage.
Mamdani’s decision not to attend the Columbus Day parade drew criticism from Italian-American civic leaders, who said his absence downplays the community’s contributions to New York City and the U.S. “He’s disrespectful to the Italian-American community, and not coming to the Columbus Day parade confirms it,” said Angelo Vivolo, chairman of the Columbus Heritage Coalition, which represents more than 50 Italian-American organizations.
