Columbus Day Parade or not: That is the question

Happy day after Columbus Day, I guess.

In the past, Columbus Day was one of my family’s favorite holidays. My daughters would have the day off from school. We would take the train from the burbs into downtown Chicago, visit their mother at her office, have some lunch and then head off to the Columbus Day parade.

This parade was the favorite of our family. It wasn't as crowded as the other holiday parades. The weather was usually much better. You could easily get a good viewing spot, close to the street, and not have to shove others out of the way. And maybe most importantly, at least to my daughters, many of the marchers would toss candy to the crowd. Oh yeah, I admit I was good with the candy, too.

We must have gone to the parade for close to a decade. After that, we stopped going. Either the girls lost interest or we became too busy, probably as little of both.

Yesterday I found myself in downtown Chicago. I had about an hour to kill before an appointment so I decided to walk around. I noticed one of the streets was blocked off and realized the Columbus Day parade was starting. It was only a block away from where I was standing.

Hmmmm…I could kill an hour watching a parade. It could be fun. It would bring back some good memories and maybe, just maybe, I could score some free candy.

But, then I started thinking about Columbus, the man. His legacy has taken a huge deserved hit since we last attended the parade in his honor.

Yeah, we all knew he didn't actually discover America in 1492. That wasn't a big deal. It certainly didn't keep us away from a parade. However, his history of rape and slavery against the Indigenous People he encountered on his travels is a big deal. It's the main reason that in recent years many people are now celebrating Indigenous People’s Day instead of Columbus Day. It's also why statues of Chris have been taken down in many major cities across this country, including here in Chicago.

So, knowing all this, what did I do about the parade?

I decided not to go. Yeah, I know my not attending doesn't change anything. It won't make any difference. And, I wasn't trying to do any of that. However, it did make me feel a bit better about myself, nothing wrong with that.

I still have great memories of the parades with my daughters. Those are much better than anything I would have seen yesterday. But, damn, I miss that free candy.