https://www.americancityandcounty.com/wp-content/themes/acc_child/assets/images/logo/footer-logo.png
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcast
  • Resources & Events
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • Municipal Cost Index – Archive
    • Equipment Watch Page
    • American City & County Awards
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Privacy Statement
    • Terms of Service
American City and County
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcasts
  • Resources/Events
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers/eBooks
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • American City & County Awards
    • Municipal Cost Index
    • Equipment Watch Page
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Stament
    • Terms of Service
  • newsletter
  • Administration
  • Economy & Finance
  • Procurement
  • Public Safety
  • Public Works & Utilities
  • Smart Cities & Technology
  • Magazine
acc.com

Administration


Photo by Blaz Erzetic on Unsplash

Article

Columbus statute covered in Pittsburgh, debate rages on explorer’s legacy

Columbus statute covered in Pittsburgh, debate rages on explorer’s legacy

  • Written by Derek Prall
  • 12th October 2020

Today’s Indigenous People’s day. Or, maybe it’s Columbus Day. Depends on who you ask.

In Pittsburgh, it’s still recognized as Columbus Day, but the statue of the controversial explorer which has for years stood in the city’s Schenley Park today is covered by a plastic sheet while debate is ongoing about its ultimate fate, a local CBS affiliate is reporting.

In recent years the celebration of Columbus’ contributions to the New World has come under fire. Indigenous groups and other like-minded activists say his legacy is one of rape, slavery and genocide. Other, more conservative thinkers and some Italian American groups, on the other hand, say abolishing Columbus day is an attempt to change history and diminishes the contributions of Italian Americans – another oft-maligned group of minorities in this county.

The Italian-American mayor of Pittsburgh, Bill Peduto, has said it’s time for the statue to come down, agreeing with a unanimous vote from the city’s art commission on Sept. 23.

“All four of my grandparents were Italian and personally experienced discrimination, yet learned to love their new country. I am tremendously proud to be part of the Italian-American community in Pittsburgh, just as I am proud to be Mayor of the City of Pittsburgh and to represent all people of our city.” The mayor said in a letter to the commission.

“After much thought and prayer, I believe it is now time for us to return the Columbus statue to the Italian-American community that brought it into existence. They can preserve it in a manner than celebrates Italian-American culture while acknowledging the wreckage that slavery and racism has done to America,” he added.

The letter went on to ask the commission to make a final vote on the disposition of the statute. That vote is expected to take place at the commission’s Oct. 28 meeting, KDKA reports.

Tags: homepage-featured-1 Administration News Administration News Article

Most Recent


  • 10 of America's most idyllic lakeside communities
    From Vermont’s Lake Champlain to the famous Lake of the Ozarks, the United States has the third most lakes of any country in the world—a new list from Boatline, an online boating marketplace, ranks America’s best lakeside cities and towns. The list includes communities like Grand Lake, Colo., which is home to the state’s deepest natural […]
  • Ahead of Surfside condo collapse anniversary, Florida's legislature approves inspection standards
    Nearly a year after one of the worst building tragedies in United States history, the partial collapse of Champlain Towers South in Surfside, Fla., the state’s legislature has passed a bill requiring stricter inspection standards. It’s expected to be signed into state law by Gov. Ronald DeSantis. The update significantly reduces the inspection timeline statewide for coastal […]
  • American City & County survey highlights civic engagement priorities in public sector
    In today’s frenetic social media-driven environment, engaging with constituents can be a balancing act—too much interaction and they might tune you out or unsubscribe; too little civic engagement might cause them to disengage with messaging. A survey conducted by American City & County (AC&C) quantifies in data the ways communities are walking this delicate line—leveraging […]
  • Changing recruitment practices can ease retention challenges
    Ahead of the historic investment in American infrastructure, government organizations are facing an unprecedented employment and retention squeeze. But while there’s a lot of economic drivers that are out of administrators’ control, there are certain hiring practices that can soften the blow.  “We’re already constrained in finding the talent we need,” said Elizabeth Kellar, director […]

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your American City and County account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • Lessons from your friendly neighborhood public service employees
  • Harris County deploys next-generation security in 150 public buildings
  • How local governments can get ahead of the infrastructure wave: Strategies to mitigate risk
  • Prioritizing rapid restore leads to stronger ransomware attack recovery

White papers


Hand Hygiene: Compliance Matters

23rd May 2022

What it Takes to Build a Winning Esports Program

23rd May 2022

Sixth-Largest US School District Saves Over $500,000 by Utilizing a Cooperative

23rd May 2022
view all

Events


PODCAST


Young Leaders Episode 4 – Cyril Jefferson – City Councilman, High Point, North Carolina

13th October 2020

Young Leaders Episode 3 – Shannon Hardin – City Council President, Columbus, Ohio

27th July 2020

Young Leaders Episode 2 – Christian Williams – Development Services Planner, Goodyear, Ariz.

1st July 2020
view all

Twitter


AmerCityCounty

Remote alarm notifications add firewall as utilities face mounting threats of cyberattacks dlvr.it/SRB2fd

27th May 2022
AmerCityCounty

10 of America’s most idyllic lakeside communities dlvr.it/SR9yVd

27th May 2022
AmerCityCounty

Infrastructure improvements in cities often feature clean energy or connected technologies dlvr.it/SR6vm8

26th May 2022
AmerCityCounty

Ahead of Surfside condo collapse anniversary, Florida’s legislature approves statewide inspection standards dlvr.it/SR6qL7

26th May 2022
AmerCityCounty

American City & County survey highlights civic engagement priorities in public sector dlvr.it/SR3hMS

25th May 2022
AmerCityCounty

Changing recruitment practices can ease retention challenges dlvr.it/SQzzPt

24th May 2022
AmerCityCounty

EVs are coming in a big way – Will charging infrastructure be ready? dlvr.it/SQzfL1

24th May 2022
AmerCityCounty

Optimizing the 3 stages of RFP creation for faster results | June 16, 2022 at 2 PM ET dlvr.it/SQzV7d

24th May 2022

Newsletters

Sign up for American City & County’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about local governments.

Resale Insights Dashboard

The Resale Insights Dashboard provides model-level data for the entire used equipment market to help you save time and money.

Municipal Cost Index

Updated monthly since 1978, our exclusive Municipal Cost Index shows the effects of inflation on the cost of providing municipal services

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital audience? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • IWCE’s Urgent Communications
  • IWCE Expo

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us

FOLLOW American City and County ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookies Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2022 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X