The wave of change that demands the toppling of statues and monuments that symbolize racism made a huge splash in Los Angeles. Let’s see how far the momentum will reach.
On Wednesday, the Los Angeles City Council voted to replace Columbus Day with a celebration of “indigenous, aboriginal and native people,” the Los Angeles Times reports.
For indigenous people, Christopher Columbus is a symbol of the genocide and colonization of their forbearers.
This comes on the heels of New York City park officials discovering a beheaded statue of the explorer. The statue is the latest casualty in the movement to remove symbols of the Confederacy from public spaces, which reached a boiling point weeks ago at a violent White supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.
According to the newspaper, Italian Americans battled Native Americans during debate on the future of Columbus Day. Ultimately, the city’s lawmakers voted 14-1 to remove the holiday from the calendar.
The decision was met with disapproval from many. Conservative writer Ann Coulter urged President Donald Trump to “throw a huge Columbus Day party on the White House lawn” for Italian Americans.
But many more people expressed approval.
What’s your take?
SOURCE: Los Angeles Times
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Los Angeles To Celebrate Indigenous People Instead Of Columbus was originally published on newsone.com
