Our Vision

The founders of WISH CNY came together in July 2020 with the initial goal of rethinking, removing, and replacing the statue in downtown Syracuse, and sharing why this is important to each of us.

We understand that this change involves the courage of truth-telling and developing respect-in-action for the Native People (the Onondaga) whose land we live on. Each of our members has benefited and given to the Syracuse community, and most of us have immigrant Italian heritage.

We are passionate about public educational outreach, which is vital to begin collaboration for our shared future.

Our Contributions

WISH CNY is planning community engagement efforts which support the planning for what is now called Columbus Circle. We are excited to be developing educational resources, learning texts, and activities aligned with our group's greater vision of justice, healing, and truth-telling.

Our ‘Wish’

We have chosen the strawberry tree as our group symbol, borrowing it from Italy, where it is one of the country’s national symbols. The Italian flag is reminiscent of the strawberry tree’s green leaves, red berries, and white flowers.

We use the symbolism of the strawberry tree as a herald of unification and growth, to signify our responsibility of caring for the earth, and to express our commitment to honoring the realities of Italian-American heritage.

Our beginning…Women of Italian and Syracuse Heritage share public statement:

“We 21 women of Italian American ancestry, of Central New York, 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…” Read WISH's public statement on Syracuse's Columbus memorial (Posted Sept. 04, 2020)