Lightfoot: Columbus statues shouldn’t be torn down but serve as history discussion
Chicago statues of Christopher Columbus vandalized repeatedly since the death of George Floyd should not be torn down but rather used to confront the nation’s history and trigger a “reckoning” that’s long overdue, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Thursday.
Lightfoot acknowledged “the issue of Columbus and Columbus Day” is a source of controversy and “great discussion.” But she argued the way to “educate our young people, in particular, about our history is to educate them about the whole history.”
“I have been watching with great interest the debate that’s been going on around Confederate monuments. And there was a Black historian. I don’t remember his name. But he said — and I think he’s right — that we can use this moment as an opportunity to not try to erase history but embrace it full-on,” the mayor said.
“There was a lot of harm that happened over the arc of the history of this country, beginning with the original sin of slavery. It’s way past time that we have a reckoning on that. But we also have to recognize that our history, both in this country and in our city, is rich and diverse.”
The racial reawakening triggered by Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police has emotions running high, and statues of historical figures considered controversial have been hit with graffiti around the country.
Last Friday in Little Italy, a statue of Columbus was vandalized, leading residents to guard the statue. When Black Lives Matter protesters showed up and got into a heated confrontation with the residents the next day, a retired Cook County judge took a swing at a protester that he said spit on him.
After the statue was cleaned this week at a cost of $4,500, it was vandalized again, leading the Chicago Park District to cover it with a blue tarp.
On Thursday, Lightfoot said “Columbus and his legacy” are a “flashpoint for many people.’’
But, she argued, instead of tearing down Columbus statues, the city must follow the lead of Columbus Day parade organizers who have invited people from different backgrounds and political perspectives to participate in what she called a “peoples’ celebration.”
“We have way too many divisive moments in this narrative that’s going on right now. As leaders, we need to step up and try to unify people . . . . We need to use this moment as an opportunity to find our common ground as people. That’s what we should be doing in Chicago is to unify, not divide,” she said.