Dear friends of WISH CNY,
You may have noticed the past few weeks that we have been featuring both men and women in our posts. This is because we have changed our membership (and our name) to be non-gendered! We are now “We of Italian and Syracuse and Heritage CNY.”
The founding members began this group with the immediate goals of replacing the statue of Christopher Columbus (Cristoffa Corombo) in the city center of Syracuse NY, challenging oppressive patriarchal representations of Italian and Italian-American histories, and supporting healing changes to statue culture in the US. We are embracing the universal need for solidarity.
We are accepting new members regardless of gender orientation- and you don’t have to be of Italian ancestry either, but you should have a strong connection to Syracuse, NY and care about Italian culture and history.
Join us for as we continue:
Engaging in community dialogue and leadership to remove and replace the Columbus monument in Syracuse’s city center with images that honor our Italian values rooted in la campagnia, la gioia, and la guarigione (country, joy and healing)
Participating in the City of Syracuse’s process to create Heritage Park in the city center
Educating about the impacts of colonization and the Doctrine of Discovery
Supporting the sovereignty of the Onondaga Nation
Growing Italian-American partnerships throughout the region and the US
To learn more, take a look at our website, speak with someone about joining our group, or to be added to our email list, or contact us by email at wishcny@gmail.com.
Ciao,
Colleen, MaryAnn, Tarki, Cindy, Hil, Allison, Donna, Paul, and Jack
AGREEMENT TRANSFERRING 1,000 ACRES IN TULLY CREEK AREA COMPLETED
(This story is from the Onondaga Nation website home page) – On Friday, September 27th, representatives of the Onondaga Nation signed legal documents with Honeywell International for the return of 1,000 acres of land at the headwaters of Onondaga Creek which sits within the original treaty footprint set aside for the Onondaga under the 1794 Treaty of Canandaigua.
That agreement transferring control of the land was facilitated by the U.S. Department of Interior and the State of New York under provisions of the U.S. superfund program. This is the first acreage returned to the stewardship of the Onondaga since New York State and the U.S government repeatedly broke the terms of the treaty which originally set aside 2.5 million acres for the Onondaga.
The agreement is being filed in the office of the Onondaga County Clerk to complete the transfer.
The following is a statement released by Tadodaho (Chief) Sid Hill of the Onondaga and Keeper of the Fire for the Six-Nation Haudenosaunee Confederacy, marking the transfer of land.
“The headwaters of Onondaga Creek in the Tully Valley are part of the system of waterways leading into Onondaga Lake that have sustained our Nation for millennia, and we are grateful that the Department of the Interior and New York State have worked with us to return to our stewardship the first 1,000 acres of the 2.5 million acres of treaty-guaranteed land taken from us over the centuries,” said Onondaga Tadodaho Sid Hill “This is a small but important step for us, and for the Indigenous land back movement across the United States.”
Latest News and Notes from WISH
WISH CNY supports the return of over 1,000 acres of land in Tully to the Onondaga Nation.
How You Can Help!
Reach out to our Syracuse Common Council Members and asking them to support the removal and replacement of the Columbus Monument. Find your Council District and Counselor
Write a Letter to the Editor (250 words) or Guest Opinion (800 words) to the Post Standard | Syracuse.com. Email your letter to letters@syracuse.com. See Syracuse Post Standard Guidelines; questions can be sent to Marie Morelli at mmorelli@syracuse.com.
WISH CNY Promotes Outreach and Education
Onondaga Nation Amicus Brief on Columbus Statue
As of September 9th, 2021, the Onondaga Nation Amicus Brief is now available to the public. The Amicus Affirmation provides an in-depth historical account of the Onondaga Nation’s living history with the Columbus Statue.
Celebrate Diversity,
Replace Columbus
As part of a broad public relations campaign, Neighbors of the Onondaga Nation, in collaboration with Women of Italian and Syracuse Heritage, is distributing lawn signs with the message "Celebrate Diversity - Replace Columbus" in the greater Syracuse area.
Lawn signs are available at Syracuse Cultural Workers or by contacting Sue Eiholzer at rsue@twcny.rr.com
Celebrating
Notable Italian and Italian-American Women
The United States has typically prioritized honoring men in history. Here is a non-comprehensive list of resources of women with Italian heritage., worthy of being remembered, both contemporary to Columbus and more recent.
Our First Effort: Rethinking, Removing and Replacing Columbus
Letter to the Mayor’s Committee
August 15, 2020
We, ten women of Italian-American ancestry, have seriously considered the monuments to Columbus and their symbolic statement of Italian immigrant pride. Italians have a deep and rich history of which we can be proud. However, we know that this monument of Christopher Columbus, erected in Syracuse in 1934, is no longer a suitable symbol of pride, and not one that we would offer to represent our Italian ancestry. Given the truth of his missions, including slavery, betrayal, and violence toward Indigenous Peoples in the name of Spain and Christendom; we respectfully request the removal of the statue and a rethinking of this “idol.”
Our Italian ancestry is something each of us views differently, but each with respect for the legacy of our ancestors. It is a human attribute to express pride in one’s heritage, but we are obligated to honor historical truths, not myths. We are looking with honesty at our past while presenting a message of hopeful change for the way we show respect to our Syracuse Italian ancestry.
The complete document is available on our In The News page.
Say ‘Ciao!’
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