The Latest Breaking News from Christopher Columbus

Columbus Day arrives, and still no Columbus statues

In August, the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans demanded that Columbus statues be returned to Grant and Arrigo parks by Columbus Day and protected at city expense. It didn’t happen, but the two sides are talking.

Chicago Sun-Times · Oct 10, 2022

Box covering Columbus statue sports colors of Italian flag

A statue of Christopher Columbus in Philadelphia remains hidden by a plywood box while its fate is decided in the courts, but the box has now been painted with the colors of the Italian flag

The Independent UK · Oct 10, 2022

Indigenous People’s Day: Why many Americans celebrate it instead of Columbus Day

The holiday was created in reaction to the atrocities carried out by Columbus and European settlers against Native American people in the Americas

The Independent UK · Oct 10, 2022

Judge rules Pittsburgh free to remove Christopher Columbus statue from Schenley Park

An Allegheny County judge declared that Pittsburgh officials are free to remove from Schenley Park the divisive Christopher Columbus statue, the central figure in a years-long legal battle pitting history against itself.

Tribune News Service · Oct 4, 2022

Seven times people discovered the Americas – and how they got there

When Columbus landed in 1492, the Americas had been settled for tens of thousands of years. He wasn’t the first person to discover the continent. Instead, his discovery was the last of many discoveries.

The Conversation · Sep 8, 2022

Editorial: We’re smart enough as a city to leave Christopher Columbus alone

If Mayor Lori Lightfoot were to follow the recent recommendations of the Chicago Monuments Project Advisory Committee and excise Christopher Columbus permanently from Grant Park, logic dictates that she should then immediately rename Columbus Drive. After all, a prominent city street is etched in the public consciousness far more than…

Chicago Tribune · Aug 25, 2022

Lighfoot: Columbus statues won’t return to their pedestals without a security plan

Mayor Lightfoot reiterated that she doesn’t “believe in erasing history.” That’s why she’s been “talking to lots of folks about what can we do, how can we do it” to secure the Columbus statues.

Chicago Sun-Times · Aug 23, 2022

Before Chicago permanently removes Columbus statues or other monuments, Mayor Lightfoot wants more study

CHICAGO — Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot will set up a “working group” to review recommendations for taking down problematic monuments, she said Tuesday.

Chicago Tribune · Aug 23, 2022

Destroying artwork is wrong, especially because you don’t agree with it

The eventual disposition and locations of the Columbus (and other) sculptures is best dealt with in more cool-headed times.

Chicago Sun-Times · Aug 23, 2022

Monuments committee says Goodbye Columbus, but its work mustn't end there

The best path forward is to go easy with the crowbar when it comes to these monuments. Ramp up the opportunities — and funding — to teach where feasible, rather than tear down.

Chicago Sun-Times · Aug 23, 2022