A court order has resulted in the City of Philadelphia removing the plywood box enclosing the statue of Christopher Columbus in the city’s Marconi Park. This was the latest chapter in a long battle over the statue, which became a central objection during the racial justice protests in June 2020 following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The city is deciding what to do with the statue.

Because of vandalism to the statue and violence in the city, the Historical Commission voted to crate the statue, prompting Italian American groups to bring court action to preserve it. Similar issues arose surrounding the statue of former Philadelphia mayor and police chief Frank Rizzo, which was removed also during the protests in 2020.

Until recently, Columbus was hailed as the heroic discoverer of the New World, even though he was unaware of it. The Italian mariner, sailing under the Spanish flag, is credited with being the first white explorer to set up shop in North America, even though he thought he was in India, hence the name “Indies.”

Historians, however, later argued that Amerigo Vespucci, the man for whom “America” is named, was the first to recognize that where he and his exploring party were was an actual “new world.”

Columbus has been celebrated by many Italian Americans as an example of the contributions that Italians have made to our history. He has been held up as an example of heroic enterprise in the face of countless dangers. Other Italian Americans, however, observe Columbus Day as a celebration of their heritage and not necessarily of Columbus himself.

The day, originally celebrated on Oct. 12, was first made a legal holiday in the United States through the lobbying efforts of Angelo Noce, a first-generation Italian American in Denver, Colorado.

In 1892, on the 400th anniversary of Columbus’ voyage and following the lynching of 11 Italian immigrants in New Orleans, President Benjamin Harrison declared “Columbus Day” a one-day holiday.

After more efforts in the next 75 years, Mariano A. Lucca of Buffalo founded the National Columbus Day Committee in 1966, which lobbied to make Columbus Day a federal holiday. These efforts culminated in legislation signed by President Lyndon Johnson on June 28, 1968, to be effective in 1971. Eventually, Columbus Day became one of our “Monday” holidays to give us a three-day weekend.

As years passed, researchers uncovered the brutal treatment by the men of Columbus’ expeditions. The natives of what became known as Hispaniola in the Caribbean were treated as savages and their ranks decimated.

Because of this, many have called for the deglorification of Columbus and, instead, honor indigenous people, including Native Americans who suffered so significantly, not only at the hands of Columbus’ men but for centuries throughout other parts of North America, so much so that now we have a sort of co-holiday on the second Monday of October.

It’s interesting how some calendars indicate the day as “Columbus Day,” while others note the date as “Columbus Day” and “Indigenous Peoples Day,” while still others list it as just “Indigenous Peoples Day.”

During the 2020 riots, Columbus statues were toppled in Minnesota, beheaded in Boston and attacked elsewhere. There were petitions to remove the Columbus statue in Riverside Park in Easton, but Mayor Sal Panto said nothing doing, and the statue continues to stand in the area along Larry Holmes Drive.

There are 22 communities in the United States that are named “Columbus,” the most prominent of which is the capital of Ohio. In our own area, there is a section of Nesquehoning known as “New Columbus” and a street in Whitehall known as “Columbus Street.” There are countless references to other streets, buildings, as well as monuments and other symbols that carry the Columbus name, including world-famous Columbus Circle with Columbus’ statue in New York City.

So the question then becomes: How far do we take this sanitizing of history? If we go down this path, we are sure to polarize the nation even more. This strikes me as an example of going from one extreme to the other. This should be a teachable moment done with restraint, logic and historical perspective.

By Bruce Frassinelli | tneditor@tnonline.com