My family participated in Chicago's parade as part of a branch of the Italian Catholic Federation (I think? I was a kid) for years, and I distinctly remember the time I saw three kids walking the opposite direction with a sign "COLUMBUS WAS A RAPIST" which raised my awareness.

I always wondered why Columbus is so revered by Italians in America (Itally didn't sponsor him, the Spanish did), but I remember discovering that he only became an American idol when someone needed the Italian-American vote. I still found myself arguing with my mother about him last time I visited.