Columbus statue at Statehouse safe for now
Christopher Columbus’ last statue standing in his namesake city remains at the Statehouse after the board responsible for the grounds realized it has no procedure to follow to consider removing one.
The Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board voted unanimously Thursday to create such rules — but it's a process that will take five years.
The board, which is dominated by Republicans, also agreed to move forward with adding a monument commemorating women’s suffrage.
A draft proposal on removing statues, created by Laura Battocletti, executive director of the Capitol Square board, and her staff, would mirror the policy to add a monument to the grounds. That process takes at least five years.
House Speaker Larry Householder, who chairs the board, said “It seemed most logical to use the same process for removal as the process is to have a statue erected on the Statehouse grounds.”
The Glenford Republican said he opposes the removal of the Christopher Columbus Discovery Monument and expressed doubt about the historical accounts of Columbus’s actions against Native Americans, saying facts are sometimes exaggerated.
“Nobody is perfect. I always look at all of these historical figures in the light of their accomplishments more than whether they are a perfect human or not,” Householder said.
Christopher Columbus’ legacy has been a point of contention for years as Native Americans and activists call for a re-examination of his life as an explorer.
He is celebrated as the first person to discover the Western Hemisphere, but other European explorers made the voyage before him, and hundreds of Native American tribes had inhabited North and South America for centuries before he arrived.
Statues of Columbus have been beheaded, toppled or plunged into bodies of water in Boston; St. Paul, Minnesota; Camden, New Jersey; and Richmond, Virginia, in a rebuke of his history as a colonizer and slaver. Other cities, like Columbus, Ohio, have chosen to get rid of the monuments through legal means.
Columbus State Community College removed its statue June 19 as a symbolic gesture to address systemic racism.
Mayor Andrew Ginther and Columbus City Council authorized the July 1 removal of a statue that stood in front of City Hall for over 65 years after it was donated by Columbus’ sister city, Genoa, Italy. The statue has been placed in storage.
Householder said the city and college’s choice to remove their statues were “knee-jerk reactions” and the fiveyear process the Capitol Square board is considering is a a more responsible way. Householder said the board will hear from people on both sides of the debate.
Ohio Sen. Hearcel Craig, D-columbus, agrees that the removal of this statue needs to be taken very seriously and debated but believes Columbus and other historical figures need to be recognized in relation to their problematic history.
“My concern is, as we look at symbols that might represent oppression or challenges for all of our citizens and particularly around the vestiges of systemic racism, I’m just deeply concerned about this issue,” Craig said.
The Capitol Square board also unanimously approved planning for a new monument commemorating women’s suffrage.
With the five-year process for adding a monument beginning, the board will hear testimony from supporters and opponents and iron out the details for where the statue would be placed, as well as funding, design and construction costs.
Battocletti said three locations were recommended for this new statue including inside the Statehouse in the Ladies Gallery or Map Room, or outside on the south plaza across from the Ohio Theatre. gshillcock@dispatch.com @Shillcockgeorge