RICHMOND, Va. — The statue of Christopher Columbus erected where Boulevard hits Byrd Park in Richmond was vandalized on Columbus Day. A message left with the Richmond Department of Public Works about the Columbus statue vandalism has not yet been returned.
Monday was Columbus Day and the words “lies” and “genocide” painted on the Columbus statue come at a time when some cities and schools choose not to honor Columbus, but rather the people he encountered in the New World and their descendants.
More jurisdictions this year are recognizing the second Monday in October as Indigenous People’s Day, building on efforts to shift the holiday’s focus away from the Italian explorer. The shift is part of broader attempts to clarify the Italian explorer’s role in American history and connect indigenous culture to something other than sports teams, Halloween costumes and pop culture appropriation.
“Reclaiming the second Monday in October as Indigenous People’s Day makes a powerful statement,” Multnomah County, Oregon Chair Deborah Kafoury said in a statement. “It says, ‘We are no longer going to celebrate a time of genocide, but instead we will honor the land we live on and the people who have been here since the beginning.”‘
In many cities, Columbus Day is a celebration of Italian-American heritage, not just Columbus, so it’s no surprise that Italian-Americans are among the most vocal opponents of the shifting focus.
Parades were still planned this year in New York and San Francisco, home of the country’s biggest Columbus Day celebrations. New York is one of the states where Columbus Day is a paid holiday.
This is a developing story.
CNN Wire contributed to this report.
