Name: Columbus, Ohio, Takes Down Statue Of Christopher Columbus
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Columbus, Ohio, Takes Down Statue Of Christopher Columbus

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© 2022 Western New York Public Broadcasting Association140 Lower TerraceBuffalo, NY 14202Mailing Address: Horizons Plaza P.O. Box 1263 Buffalo, NY 14240-1263Buffalo Toronto Public Media | Phone 716-845-7000WBFO Newsroom | Phone: 716-845-7040Your NPR StationPlay Live Radio0:000:00Available On Air StationsA construction crew removed the massive Christopher Columbus statue from its place of honor outside Columbus, Ohio's City Hall on Wednesday morning, in one of the most dramatic cases yet of a city reshaping how its monuments reflect its sense of history and community identity.Workers began climbing the more than 20-foot-tall metal statue at daybreak, draping large support bands around Columbus' waist to lift the statue from its perch on the south plaza of City Hall. In the background, the building's façade was lit by colors of the rainbow — a display that was recently used to celebrate the LGBTQ community during Pride Week.A huge crane parked along the sidewalk on Broad Street then yanked Columbus off his pedestal and deposited the statue onto a waiting flatbed trailer.The monument stood at City Hall for some 65 years. The city of Genoa, Italy, the explorer's birthplace, gave the statue to the Ohio city during festivities that coincided with the national holiday in October.But nearly two weeks ago, Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther announced the statue would be taken down."For many people in our community, the statue represents patriarchy, oppression and divisiveness," Ginther said. "That does not represent our great city, and we will no longer live in the shadow of our ugly past."The imposing monument to Columbus will be placed in storage, according to the mayor. As for the spot outside City Hall, Ginther said it will be devoted to "artwork that demonstrates our enduring fight to end racism and celebrate the themes of diversity and inclusion."The fate of the large Columbus statue had been a subject of a contentious debate in Ohio's capital."You can't just throw it under the rug and say, 'We're not standing for this, you gotta hide this,' " Larry Pishitelli, an Italian immigrant, recently told . "It's our heritage. Like it or not, it's how we got here."A small Columbus statue still stands in the city on the grounds of the statehouse.In recent years, Columbus' name has become increasingly linked not to a legacy of exploration and discovery, but to the violent colonization that followed his arrival in the Americas and the catastrophic effect it has had on existing civilizations.In 2018, the city of Columbus opted that honors its controversial namesake.A growing number of cities have chosen to devote the second Monday in October to Indigenous Peoples Day rather than to a celebration of the explorer.Columbus Day "was adopted at a time when Italians were vilified and faced religious and ethnic discrimination," as has reported. "Italian Americans latched onto the day as a way to mainstream and humanize themselves in the face of rampant discrimination. It became a national holiday in 1934 to honor a man who, ironically, never set foot in the United States. Columbus anchored in the Bahamas."Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.Bill Chappell is a writer and editor on the News Desk in the heart of NPR's newsroom in Washington, D.C.NOW PLAYINGProud Sponsor of WBFO NPRFollow WBFO On Social MediaJoin us in the WNED PBS studios for a screening and panel discussion of Making Black America: Through the Grapevine. We'll show segments from the series and follow up each segment with discussion and Q&amp;A.The racist shooting at Tops has renewed the spotlight on right-wing extremism across the country. So what does right-wing extremism look like here in Western New York? And what does the local far-right have to say about their ideology?In the wake of Buffalo's recent tragedy on the east side, WBFO brings you a program that unapologetically confronts what led to the shooting.Get the latest news and those driveway moments delivered directly to your inbox every weekday morning by signing up for the WBFO Newsletter: The WBFO Daily.You bring your best dance moves, we’ll bring the music for the first-ever Silent Disco at WBFO The Bridge on Oct. 1 from 8 pm to midnight at Buffalo Toronto Public Media Studios!Thinking about selling your car, boat, motorcycle, truck or other vehicle? Donate it to WBFO instead.

© 2022 Western New York Public Broadcasting Association140 Lower TerraceBuffalo, NY 14202Mailing Address: Horizons Plaza P.O. Box 1263 Buffalo, NY 14240-1263Buffalo Toronto Public Media | Phone 716-845-7000WBFO Newsroom | Phone: 716-845-7040Your NPR StationPlay Live Radio0:000:00Available On Air StationsA construction crew removed the massive Christopher Columbus statue from its place of honor outside Columbus, Ohio's City Hall on Wednesday morning, in one of the most dramatic cases yet of a city reshaping how its monuments reflect its sense of history and community identity.Workers began...

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I write stories for @npr. Beer brewer, bee steward and child raiser. If you think NPR would endorse all my tweets, I don’t know what you’re thinking.

Bill Chappell

WBFO-FM 88.7 is Buffalo’s leading radio provider of local and regional news, along with national and international coverage from NPR and the BBC .

Columbus, Ohio, Takes Down Statue Of Christopher Columbus

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