The statue of Christopher Columbus in the Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park was decapitated again last night, and Mayor Walsh has said that he’s removing the statue from the park pending public discussion. I would like to start that public discussion here, by calling on my neighbors to consider whether this statue should be removed permanently, and what would be more appropriate to put in its place.

When we reference Columbus or celebrate Columbus Day in America, what we’re really trying to do is pay our respects to the fortitude and sacrifice of our ancestors who came to this country and laid the groundwork for the success that Italian-Americans enjoy today. We are & should be proud of them. So why continue to overshadow them with a symbol that harms our reputation by association?

As an Italian-American, I know it doesn’t align with the stories we heard growing up—but there’s little doubt about the true nature of Columbus in the year 2020. In the 500+ years since he sailed the ocean blue, historical evidence shows that Columbus wrote about taking slaves on the very first day he set foot in what is now Haiti in December 1492--eventually kidnapping and enslaving over a thousand men and women there. We know that he once kidnapped a woman so his crew could rape her, and that he inspired mass suicides of the Arawak tribes in what many consider a genocide.

Is this someone we should be teaching our children to honor when we enjoy our beautiful park?

Along with statues of Confederate generals, cities across the country are reconsidering Columbus. Whether it’s replacing statues or renaming parks, there’s a long list of Italians and Italian-Americans who will now have the public’s attention and celebration instead of Columbus. There’s Marconi, LaGuardia, DaVinci, Gallileo, etc.

Meanwhile, right here in our own neighborhood, we have two potent symbols of the Italian American experience: Sacco & Vanzetti. Executed after a controversial trial in a biased criminal justice system amidst a wave of anti-Italian, anti-immigrant sentiment in the early 20th century. Their story resonates now more than ever.

A century ago our Italian-American ancestors were also targets of white supremacy. While Sacco & Vanzetti were conferred with many of the privileges of whiteness—like all our immigrant ancestors, they were still routinely the target of bias & discrimination for a number of reasons: their Catholic faith, their dark complexions and the widespread nativist belief that immigrants from all around the world were stealing jobs. Sound familiar?

At the time, Catholic charities and churches were vandalized and burned and Italians were attacked by lynch mobs. In New Orleans in 1891, 11 Italians were killed in one of the largest documented mass lynchings in U.S. history.

It was in response to anti-Italian incidents like those surrounding the Sacco & Vanzetti trial, that Italian Americans adopted Columbus as their symbol. After 100 years, why don’t we cut out the middleman & commemorate Sacco & Vanzetti directly in our beloved North End park?

By commemorating Sacco & Vanzetti, we’d be giving Italian-Americans in the US & right here in the North End a touchpoint to reflect on how bias & discrimination harmed our ancestors & continue to cause harm in the US today. Sacco & Vanzetti Day has been a holiday in the state of Massachusetts since 1977 and is Celebrated on August 23rd—right in the middle of the feast season. There’s even a mold for a statue ready to go in the archives of the Boston Public Library.

As an Italian American living in the North End, I call on the Friends of Christopher Columbus Park, our neighborhood associations NEWRA & NEWNC, and the leaders of all the Italian American organizations in the North End to gather together to discuss how we can honor our Italian American ancestors in a better way. One that, instead of bringing us shame by association, places us in solidarity with those who are the targets of bias & discrimination today.

Please sign this petition today to add your voice to this call.