A crowd of about 200 people gathered at Columbus Circle in Syracuse to hear speakers advocate for the removal of the colonizer’s statue on Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

On Oct. 8, President Biden officially recognized this Monday as Indigenous Peoples’ Day in addition to Columbus Day.

Attendees at the demonstration carried signs that bore messages such as “Celebrate Diversity, Replace Columbus” and “Restore Onondaga Rights.”

Andy Mager, a local activist for Indigenous rights, gave a land acknowledgement for the demonstration, recognizing the area as property of the Onondaga Nation, before inviting speakers to take the stage with a reminder of why people were there.

“The time has come, the time has long passed, for the Columbus statue to come down,” he said.

Cecelia Elm, a member of the Onondaga Nation, said she moved away from her ancestral home as a teenager to live in St. Paul, Minnesota. In her history class, her teacher alleged, incorrectly, that the Iroquois Indigenous people gave their land away willingly and did not exist anymore. She later confronted the teacher.

Elm said she’s proud to speak out and tell people who she is because everyone should know her people still exist.

“Once the students leave the classroom, the majority remember it — they remember meeting people who proved the textbooks wrong, who were willing to represent their people and the truth,” she said. “Everything that happens with us gets buried, and that can’t be anymore.”

Danielle Smith, another member of the Onondaga Nation, said it’s important to uplift the voices of Indigenous people, especially on the Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Smith referenced the actions of local politicians, including County Executive Ryan McMahon and Mayor Ben Walsh.

Walsh announced in 2020 that he had plans to remove the statue and relocate it to a private location, with the monument and fountain remaining as a memorial to Italian Americans. McMahon has advocated against taking the statue down in favor of considering other options, such as adding statues of revered figures of Onondaga history nearby.

In May, the Columbus Monument Corporation filed a lawsuit against the city, saying Walsh had no legal authority to move the statue. The Onondaga Nation submitted an amicus brief, which is a petition to involve a party not originally involved in a lawsuit, according to a sheet that demonstration organizers handed out.

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Smith said there is no excuse for supporting Columbus in the modern day.

“Today, we know. We know, so we need to do better,” she said. “I want my daughter to know that Indigenous people matter and we’re still here.”

Smith also acknowledged the wreath ceremony held by the Columbus Monument Corporation earlier Monday, which supported the statue staying in place because it honors Italian American history.

At the demonstration that supported removing the statue, three Italian American organizers from the Women of Italian and Syracuse Heritage collective gave their perspective after Colleen Kattau, a local singer, performed.

“I’m sure my grandfather contributed to that statue (when it was built),” said MaryAnn Zeppetello, a 91-year old member of WISH. “But I’ve learned differently. The statue must come down.”

A counter protester stood nearby, holding a sign that said “Let Columbus Remain to Remind Us.” Other attendees moved quickly to obscure the sign with their own.

At the end of the event, organizers announced a minute of silence to remember and honor all people impacted by colonial settler violence, as well as those who warmly welcomed Columbus and his men only for their people to be met with brutality.

Some attendees donned white gloves colored with red paint to indicate that Columbus had blood on his hands.

Attendees stood in a row in front of the statue, some holding their gloved hands high, some proudly raising signs above their heads.

Behind them loomed the Columbus statue, illuminated in red.

Published on October 12, 2021 at 12:33 am

Contact Richard: rcperrin@syr.edu | @richardperrins2