We are asking for:

• The Christopher Columbus statue located on Chestnut Street and Kennedy Drive in Nutley, NJ to be REMOVED.
• The Nutley/Belleville Columbus Day parade to be RENAMED. 

Statues and parades are created to celebrate and honor individuals or events. It is well documented by historians and by Christopher Columbus himself, that he was not a man worthy of either. To continue on with a parade and statue that glorify Columbus only says that we condone and embrace the enslavement, rape, and murder of the indigenous people of the Americas. 

It is understood that many Italians take the Columbus Day parade, as well as the statue, as a symbol of their Italian heritage and pride. However, that is no excuse for ignoring the atrocities that he committed to the indigenous people of this land.

Both Nutley and Belleville have a large Italian demographic and we welcome the celebration of their Italian heritage, especially during Italian Heritage month. There is no reason that the parade cannot be renamed to something that better represents their history and heritage. The same goes for replacing the current Nutley statue.

This is not meant to disparage Italians, and this is not a rewriting of history. This is an opportunity to finally acknowledge the truth about this country's history and what this man did. We need to do better, and this is a small step in the right direction.