In The News
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In The News 〰️
After Columbus statue lawsuit hearings, Mayor Walsh reiterates support for local groups
Following Monday's hearings in the lawsuit, Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh issued a statement saying he's committed to continuing efforts to remove and replace the Columbus monument downtown. Walsh pointed to local groups that have filed amicus briefs, like the Women of Italian and Syracuse Heritage and the Neighbors of the Onondaga Nation, for their support in the lawsuit.
By Stephanie Wright ASST. NEWS EDITOR
Daily Orange File Photo
State Supreme Court Set to Hear Arguments In Columbus Statue Decision Appeal Next Week
Featuring WISH member Cindy Squillace
Onondaga Nation has right to be heard on Columbus statue
(Your Letters) Published January 9, 2023
To the Editor:
We, Women of Italian and Syracuse Heritage from Central New York (WISH CNY), write in response to the recent opinion piece “Taking personal offense to Columbus Monument isn’t a legal strategy” published in the Jan. 1, 2023, paper. After it was filed, our members read the Onondaga Nation’s Brief for Amicus Curiae written by their general counsel, Joseph Heath. The brief presents several legal arguments attesting to the rights of the Onondaga Nation to be heard in this matter.
The decision will be handled in the New York State Supreme Court, Appellate Division-Fourth Department. To quote Gardino, “There are a number of inaccuracies …” However, these inaccuracies reside in his letter.
First, and foremost, no one is calling for the monument to be destroyed. The only destruction discussed in the brief is that which colonization wrought on Indigenous Peoples and their cultures, specifically and including the Onondaga’. Read our complete Letter to the Editor here:
Onondaga Nation has right to be heard on Columbus statue (Your Letters) - syracuse.com
Columbus monument an ‘opportunity for miseducation’
(Your Letters)
Published: Jan. 09, 2023, 12:10 p.m.
One of four bronze Native American heads on display at Syracuse Public Safety Building after being recovered in Florida, Nov. 1, 1989. The figures were returned to the monument in Columbus Circle when it was restored in 1992. The headdress is representative of Plains Peoples.
(Carl J. Single | The Post-Standard)Syracuse Post-Standard
By Chris Sinatra
To the Editor:
In response to “Taking personal offense to Columbus Monument isn’t a legal strategy” in the Jan. 1, 2023, Post-Standard: Robert Gardino uses the worn-out argument that representing Native people on the Columbus monument is “respectful,” ignoring that consent is necessary for respectful representation. Onondaga didn’t specifically consent, the Taino depicted in the friezes never consented, and Plains Peoples depicted didn’t consent. Read the entire Letter TO the Editor here:
Columbus monument an ‘opportunity for miseducation’ (Your Letters) - syracuse.com
Reports of the Judge Neri’s decision to keep the monument in place by WRVO and Syracuse.com.
“Columbus Must GO”
Workshop Videos
“Replace Columbus Series Session 1- Goodbye Columbus: Time for Justice, Time for Healing”
“Replace Columbus Series Session 2- Why Removing Monuments Matters”
HOW AN INTERFAITH MODEL HELPED LOCAL COALITION END COLUMBUS DAY
Those inside the Rochester, N.Y., City Hall let out a roaring round of applause after nine council members unanimously approved a resolution to end its celebration of Columbus Day and replace it with a commemoration of Indigenous Peoples’ Day each October.
“We look forward to seeing this become a moment of pride in our city,” Rochester City Council President Miguel A. Meléndez Jr. said on Tuesday evening. “And we stand with you, and I want to say today that we see you.”
Indigenous and Italian community members, including faith activists, rejoiced upon the legislation’s passage, touting it as an initial step on the path of healing from centuries of historical wrongs that locally accosted the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, the original inhabitants of New York.
The measure that will go into effect on the second Monday in October didn’t simply come together overnight. Instead, an urban community deeply rooted in the pursuit of social justice work spent four years striving to attain it.
Kathy Castania, who described herself as a “proud, 100-percent Sicilian woman,” grew up in Rochester and the greater Monroe County, a region nearly toppling three-quarter of a million residents and a densely populated diaspora of almost 124,000 Italian Americans among them, according to 2020 U.S. Census ancestry data estimates.
“A bit of my story and my journey of realizing that my love of my culture, my love of our heritage, and wanting to share that meant that we had to liberate ourselves from Columbus,” Castania told Sojourners. “Not only liberating Indigenous peoples of Columbus but liberating us.”
Crowd gathers at Syracuse courthouse to hear arguments in Columbus monument case
Jan. 13, 2022, 1:21 p.m. By Megan Craig | MCraig@syracuse.com
Syracuse, N.Y. -- More than 75 people clamored for seats in an Onondaga County courtroom as a state Supreme Court judge heard arguments in the Columbus Monument Corporation’s case against the city.
In a room only a few hundred feet from the statue of Christopher Columbus at the center of the case, advocates both for and against the monument crowded into an overflow room to watch as lawyers went head-to-head.
Syracuse.com
October 10, 2021, 7:00 am
“Choose healing over division. Remove Syracuse’s Columbus statue.” (Editorial Board Opinion)
Editorials represent the collective opinion of the Advance Media New York editorial board.
“Removing statues or changing the names of public places often raises the charge that we are “erasing” history. Monuments are not history; they are an interpretation of history at a moment in time. History’s view of Columbus has become fuller, encompassing both his heroism and cruelty. Knowing the fuller story, we can change what we decide is worthy of civic honor. We can choose to keep the wound open or to try to heal it…”
Syracuse groups against Christopher Columbus statue include Italian Americans (WISH member interview)
by Melanie Johnson
Wednesday, July 14th 2021
Fourth generation Italian American Natalie LoRusso is also fighting to have the statue taken down. She represents a newly formed group called Women of Syracuse and Italian Heritage. The organization has joined forces with the Celebrate Diversity campaign to spread the message that paying homage to Christopher Columbus needs to end.
"We're not looking to erase history," LoRusso said. "We're looking at what we celebrate as a community, and having a huge statue of Columbus in the center of our city is celebrating someone and a legacy that is not what Syracuse is about."
MAYOR WALSH LAYS OUT STEPS FOR CREATION OF “HERITAGE PARK” IN DOWNTOWN SYRACUSE
Mayor says City’s inclusive and transparent approach will continue
Syracuse, N.Y. – Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh announced the final steps the City of Syracuse intends to take toward the creation of the future “Heritage Park” in Downtown Syracuse. The Mayor’s process provides for maximum community input and allows for the completion of all administrative requirements before any final determination is reached.
Heritage Park is the working name for a community project to reimagine the existing St. Mary’s Circle (also known as Columbus Circle) and the area across Onondaga Street, known as the Powelson Site. The project developed after Mayor Walsh announced his intent last October to relocate and preserve the Columbus Statue and related elements. He also envisioned the creation of a larger heritage and education site that celebrates the contributions of our richly diverse community and maintains a permanent tribute to Italian Americans at the center of the Circle.
“Stakeholders representing a wide range of perspectives have engaged in this issue for the past three-and-a-half years. I deeply appreciate their caring participation. As another Columbus Day approaches, I want the community to fully understand the steps that will be taken to create the Heritage Park and address the longstanding challenge at the Circle,” said Mayor Walsh. “There will be no changes without taking the appropriate procedural steps.”
The Mayor committed that he would follow the steps in state and local law prior to any changes to the Circle. The process the City will follow includes six steps:
1. 1. Conclusion of Heritage Park Advisory Commission Process
2. 2. City Parks preparation of the Heritage Park Plan
3. 3. Syracuse Public Arts Commission (“SPAC”) Review
4. 4. City Planning Commission (“CPC”) Review
5. 5. Syracuse Landmark Preservation Board (“LPB”) SEQR Review and Vote
6. 6. Final Administration Determination and Design
The Walsh administration posted a summary of the community engagement conducted to date regarding the Heritage Park and the final procedural steps to be followed to complete the project at https://bit.ly/HeritageParkProcess. Recommendations and design concepts from the Heritage Park Advisory Commission are expected before the end of 2021 and will be addressed according to the required procedural steps.
“Messy fight over Columbus statue blurs political lines as Syracuse barrels toward mayoral race.”
By Chris Baker | cbaker@syracuse.com
Syracuse, N.Y. — For almost a year, supporters of Syracuse’s Columbus statue have waged a war on Ben Walsh -- one that’s become increasingly political as a mayoral election nears.
City of Syracuse no longer needs state approval on Columbus statue removal process (WISH member interview)
by Mary Kielar
CNY Central, April 9, 2021
CNY Central shares a new perspective from a proud Italian American woman, Cindy Squillace, who says this is an exciting opportunity for Syracuse to celebrate diversity and respect all cultures in the city.
The Columbus Monument Corporation brought legal action against Mayor Ben Walsh and the city of Syracuse following a decision in 2020 to remove the controversial statue and in its place create a park celebrating all heritages. The petition was filed last May, and both sides argued in court Thursday, January 13, 2022, before state Supreme Court Judge Gerard Neri.
The Much-Vaunted American Melting Pot, Cracks and All
From The New York Times:
Columbus, the Middle Passage, the Mayflower. A thought-provoking exhibition, “Arrivals,” grapples with the myths and origin stories of how everyone set foot in this country.
Columbus Circle Action Committee, A Mayoral Appointed Committee July – October 2020 A Final Report and Recommendations for Mayor Ben Walsh, facilitated by INTERFAITH WORKS
This report documents the process and outcomes of a 2-month exploration by a diverse group of community members assembled at the behest of Syracuse’s mayor, Ben Walsh, in a Columbus Circle Action Committee (CCAC) representing multiple opinions about the Columbus Circle. The Columbus Circle Action Committee objectives were to: - Recommend to Mayor Walsh common ground solutions to the Columbus issue that should be implemented in the City of Syracuse beginning in 2020, - Work toward a comprehensive plan that recommends specific action steps, timelines and responsible individuals and organizations that lead to the creation of a heritage site, - Identify other actions, such as comprehensive community education through schools, museums, and non-profits that the group identifies as necessary to bring healing and understanding to the process.
By Megan Craig | MCraig@syracuse.com, November 3, 2021
Syracuse, N.Y. – A judge who will decide whether Mayor Ben Walsh can remove the Columbus statue downtown on Monday denied a request from the Onondaga Nation to speak in court in support of the city’s effort.
The link to the article is below
Judge denies Onondaga Nation’s request to speak in favor of Columbus statue removal - syracuse.com
It’s time to retire the NY State Fair ‘Indian Princess’
(Guest Opinion by Yanenowi Logan)
Yanenowi (She Guards the Corn) Logan, Seneca, resides on the Cattaraugus territory and is a sophomore at Cornell University. Logan was named "Indian Princess" for the 2021 New York State Fair -- a title she believes should be replaced with a more culturally appropriate honor. (Photo courtesy of Yanenowi Logan)
Photo courtesy of Yanenowi Logan
Opinion
Rethinking, removing and replacing the Columbus statue (Your Letters)
Posted Sep 04, 2020
WISH CNY’s Perspective on Columbus
An op-ed, written by WISH CNY, expressing our opinion on the pending removal and replacement of the Cristoforo Colombo memorial and the renaming of the circle in which it stands in Syracuse, New York.
Hundreds gathered in downtown Syracuse to protest the statue of Christopher Columbus on Saturday, June 27, 2020. Organizers asked Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh, who attended the protest, to take down the statue in two days. (Katrina Tulloch)
Ben Walsh’s monumental decision: Columbus' removal met with joy, anger, relief
Updated Oct 10, 2020; Posted Oct 10, 2020
Betty Lyons is a citizen of the Onondaga Nation. She, too, was part of the action group appointed by Walsh.
She said she was overjoyed that the statue would be removed. She said she understands and empathizes with the Italian-Americans who wanted the statue to remain. But, she said, Columbus isn’t the right Italian to celebrate.
“There are so many other Italian-Americans they could choose to elevate," she said.
Federation of Italian American Societies of Western New York
(Posted July 10, 2020)
ITALIAN FEDERATION TO RELOCATE COLUMBUS MONUMENT
“While the Columbus monument was erected by the Federation to recognize and honor the early struggles faced by Italian immigrants in the United States, it is the desire of the current Federation to dedicate a new monument that reflects the positive history of the Italian immigrant experience…”