CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - A local Italian-American group is not happy about a report recommending the permanent removal of Christopher Columbus statues taken down two years ago.
The Chicago Monument Project’s 73-page committee report included statements from a former president of the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans. In it, he asked about the precedent that would be set if three Columbus statues stay in storage like they have been since violent protests around them in July of 2020.
Current President Ron Onesti told CBS-2 they’ll continue to push back against those recommendations.
“We need to establish history, make history, you can’t bury history, so we’re not going to stand for it, and we’re not going away,” Onesti said.
He also said they see the statues as representing their culture and it can’t be ripped away.
“We’ve all grown up with, ‘Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492 and discovered America,’ that’s all we all were taught. We understand that the narratives need to be broadened, the stories need to be told. We want to help those stories,” Onesti added.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot called the report an important milestone but hasn’t said if she’ll follow its recommendations.
The committee wants the city to issue $50,000 grants for new memorials, including one to victims of gun violence. The report is only advisory – it’s not clear if Mayor Lightfoot will adopt the recommendations.
Listen to WBBM Newsradio now on Audacy!
Sign up and follow WBBM Newsradio
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Related
Related
