RI Columbus Statue Embodies False Idea Of Identity, Says Activist

PROVIDENCE, RI — As protests calling for racial justice spread across the United States, many are looking to their city's monuments and calling for change, saying they no longer wish to honor problematic historical figures. Here in Rhode Island, a growing voice is again calling for the removal of the Christopher Columbus statue in Providence.

Leading that charge is 31-year-old Joseph Gizzarelli, who started a petition calling for the statue to be taken down and moved elsewhere, such as a museum, where it can be surrounded by appropriate context. Gizzarelli, an Italian American, said the strong cultural connection members of his community feel toward Columbus are rooted in immigrant shame and an enduring sense of nostalgia.

Throughout the 19th century, Columbus was revered by the Italian American community, embodying a heroism that allowed immigrants and their families to feel accepted in America. This narrative, Gizzarelli said, is one rooted in the "wound of shame" of being an immigrant, and was solidified into the culture by Baby Boomers and older generations, who now fondly look back on Columbus Day parades and celebrations. The problem with this narrative, he said, is that it is a false one, "a sliver of history viewed through nostalgia."

Young people today are no longer ashamed that they come from an immigrant background and instead celebrate their heritage and cultural differences, Gizzarelli said.

"I do not feel that the Italian Americans who support that statute speak for me," he said, adding that most are older men, and that no one has asked for a younger person's perspective.

Gizzarelli's story is the classic tale of an Italian immigrant: His great-great-grandfather came to America in 1908 at 18 years old to seek a better life, building himself a future from nothing, adding 12 children to his family. One of nine children, Gizzarelli, his grandfather's namesake, was raised hearing stories of his family's individual accomplishments, such as his grandfather's service in World War II.

"That's what being Italian meant to me," he said. "It meant having a connection to Italy and to the past through these people. Through the stories. My family has always been incredibly proud to be Italian and to be descended from immigrants who made their life in America."

This meant he never personally identified with the narrative of Columbus, and quickly saw its flaws as a young adult. Like many other activists, Gizzarelli credits the 2016 election for galvanizing a need for action, inspiring him to take action in his home city of Providence. He launched the petition in November after it was twice defaced, and it was revived in recent weeks amid calls to strike "Providence Plantations" from Rhode Island's official name.

The Providence City Council is now poised to authorize the creation of the Committee To Review Creative Works, operated under the city's department of Arts, Culture and Tourism. This would be a great victory, Gizzarelli said, since it would remove the need to protest every individual statue or work or art by creating a process to determine appropriate action.

Although the path to changing hearts and minds has been a tough one, Gizzarelli said he remains hopeful that the opinions that are "antithetical to millennial, progressive values" will soon go by the wayside.

"I'm optimistic," he said. "When you're doing what you think is right, you can't focus on the results, you have to just keep trying."

Most importantly, Italian Americans and Rhode Islanders at large need to listen to those who are hurt the most by Columbus' legacy: Native Americans. While it is important to acknowledge and rectify the pain caused in the past, it's even more important to look at what problems persist today and address them, he said.

"We're not going to end our activism with the statue," he said. "This is just the beginning."

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