Columbus Monument Corp. hosts rally, wreath-laying to honor Christopher Columbus, Italian heritage
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Amid legal battles over the Christopher Columbus monument in downtown Syracuse and a national reckoning about Columbus’ legacy, the Syracuse-based Columbus Monument Corporation hosted multiple events this weekend for the holiday.
Following a rally in support of the downtown monument on Saturday, the corporation hosted its annual wreath laying ceremony at the monument on Monday and a Columbus Day luncheon.
The Columbus Day holiday emerged from a lynching in 1891 of 11 Italian immigrants in New Orleans. In response to the anti-Italian motivated lynchings, then-President William Henry Harrison created the federal holiday in 1892.
Members of the Italian American community in Syracuse lobbied and helped pay for the statue, which was installed in 1934.
Anthony Ilacqua, a CMC board member and spokesperson, said the statue symbolizes the immigrant community’s pride in its home country and love for their newly-adopted country.
“A statue says more about the people who put it there than the person it depicts because what it’s about is Italian American immigrants,” Ilacqua said. “It’s not just a statue that some unknown people put up — it’s part of our community.”
Mayor Ben Walsh announced in 2020 that he was convening a Columbus Circle Action Group to remove the statue and develop a Heritage Park in its place. The Columbus Monument Corporation filed a lawsuit in 2021 in response to Walsh’s plan, claiming he did not have the legal authority to remove the statue.
State Supreme Court Justice Gerard Neri ruled in favor of the Columbus Monument Corporation against the removal of the statute in March 2022. Walsh appealed Neri’s decision, which an appellate court in Rochester then overturned in July.
Ilacqua said that the organization’s fight to preserve the statue has brought some “positive” outcomes.
“It’s brought out more people in our celebration every year,” Ilacqua said. “It’s also galvanized us as a community.”
The Columbus Monument Corporation filed a motion in August to reargue the case or file an appeal to New York’s Court of Appeals. The city opposed the motion in September, but the response remains under review.
Philip Arnold, an associate professor in the department of religion and a core faculty member of Native American and Indigenous Studies at SU’s College of Arts and Sciences, said that people must be mindful of the traumatic past of Italian Americans as they celebrate Columbus to legitimize their presence in the U.S. Arnold is also the founding director of the Skä·noñh – Great Law of Peace Center and a member of the Neighbors of the Onondaga Nation, which hosted an Indigenous Peoples’ Day celebration on Sunday.
“They have endured also the traumas that should be acknowledged. But, on the other hand, you know, we also have to understand simultaneously that Columbus is representative of a legacy of domination,” Arnold said.
During the annual wreath ceremony, members of the Columbus Monument Corporation laid a wreath at the base of the Columbus monument. The luncheon, held at the OnCenter Nicholas J. Pirro Convention Center, honored Dino Centra, Rev. John Manno and Sheila Austin, all members of Syracuse’s Italian American community.
Ilacqua said the organization is honoring the trio because of what they do for the community and that helping those in need is a significant part of the organization’s mission.
On Saturday, the CMC held a “Save the Statue” rally at the statue in support of its retention. The Syracuse Police Department was called to the rally after groups began to yell and argue with each other, according to syracuse.com.
“It’s hurtful when others point fingers at us and make claims about who we are and what we believe in,” Ilacqua said.
In a press release sent after the rally, the CMC wrote that protesters shouted at several speakers and pushed their way into the Columbus Circle.
“The shouting and presence among the crowd was loud, disruptive and threatening, particularly to some of the older attendees,” the press release said.
Arnold, who attended the rally as a part of NOON’s silent demonstration, said the statue is “pretty egregious,” specifically referencing the disembodied heads of Indigenous people at the foot of Christopher Columbus.
Scott Manning Stevens, an associate professor and director of Native American and Indigenous Studies at SU, said it’s important to remember that there are Syracuse citizens of Italian descent who are pro-Indigenous Peoples’ Day and advocate for the statue’s removal.
“It’s not a monolithic Italian Americans versus Native Americans. It’s nothing that dire. It’s just a kind of failure to understand the gravity of the impact of settler colonialism on Indigenous people,” Stevens said.
