Rhode Island town celebrates Columbus Day by reinstalling statue of explorer
October 09, 2023 11:04 AM
A statue of Christopher Columbus that had been taken down in Providence, Rhode Island, will be unveiled in its new location on Monday.
The statue’s new home is in the town of Johnston, where it was already set up last month by the city in Johnston Memorial Park. It had been purchased by former Providence Mayor Joe Paolino and was donated to Johnston for display and preservation.
HOUSE SPEAKER RACE ENDORSEMENT LIVE TRACKER: WHO HAS BACKED WHO SO FAR?
“It means a lot,” Johnston Mayor Joseph Polisena Jr. said last month. “You know, we have a high percentage of Italian Americans here in Johnston, but it goes beyond Italian American history. It’s worth history. It’s important, and I don’t think the majority of people want to see the statue melted. So we’re very grateful to Mayor Paolino for donating it to Johnston.”
(Johnston Mayor Joseph Polisena, Jr. via AP)
“He’s finally here. Join us on Columbus Day, 11am at Johnston Memorial Park to celebrate,” the mayor wrote on Facebook in a post announcing the event.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
In 2019, the statue of the 15th-century explorer had been vandalized with red paint on Columbus Day, with a sign that read, “Stop celebrating genocide” placed beneath the statue. The word “genocide” was also painted in orange on the back of the statue.
The statue was taken down by the city of Providence a year later. Mayor Jorge Elorza stated it would be removed from its location in Columbus Square until the city could decide what would be done with the statue.