Raimondo Calls For Vote On 'Providence Plantations' Controversy

PROVIDENCE, RI — Amid renewed calls for Rhode Island to drop the "Providence Plantations" part of its name, Gov. Gina Raimondo said she supports the measure but wants the final decision to lie with voters.

"Let's do the right thing," Raimondo said, calling for the issue to be added to the ballot this November.

The official state name is The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. An online petition seeking to strike the Providence Plantations part has gathered nearly 5,000 signatures, with supporters saying it evokes slavery.

Weighing in on another controversy, the governor said the removal of the Christopher Columbus statute in Providence is "worth a discussion," saying she acknowledged that although it is "culturally important" for many Italian-Americans in the state, it is offensive to many others.

Following a nationwide movement calling for racial justice, Boston's Christopher Columbus statue was beheaded Wednesday and subsequently removed.

The Providence statue has been vandalized on or around Columbus Day for the past few years. This year, the monument was splashed with red paint twice: once on Columbus Day and again in November.