Opinion: Decisions on Stamfords Columbus statue, park decisions need to be informed – The Advocate

The City of Stamford has received numerous requests calling for the removal of the Christopher Columbus statue, photograph on June. 19, 2020 at Columbus park in Stamford, Connecticut.

The City of Stamford has received numerous requests calling for the removal of the Christopher Columbus statue, photograph on June. 19, 2020 at Columbus park in Stamford, Connecticut.

Photo: Matthew Brown / Hearst Connecticut Media

The City of Stamford has received numerous requests calling for the removal of the Christopher Columbus statue, photograph on June. 19, 2020 at Columbus park in Stamford, Connecticut.

The City of Stamford has received numerous requests calling for the removal of the Christopher Columbus statue, photograph on June. 19, 2020 at Columbus park in Stamford, Connecticut.

Opinion: Decisions on Stamfords Columbus statue, park decisions need to be informed

Having read a multitude of social media posts and comment threads regarding the status of the Columbus Park statue which in Stamford has become a lightning rod in the larger zeitgeist of national statue removal, I thought I would offer a few comments.

Just recently, Columbus statues in Hartford, New Haven, Norwalk and Middletown have been removed. A few statues have succumbed to beheading and defacement, certainly not a way to resolve these contentious issues. The removal movement is now brewing in Bridgeport and Stamford with the Italian-American communitys most vocal in opposition. Bear in mind that Stamford has a sizable Italian community, and the Italian-American organization Unico commissioned the sculpture in the 1970s.

Donning my art critics hat for a moment, I will say that public sculpture in its best form should have a guiding principle namely that it is edifying and uplifting. I am not sure this particular Columbus statue speaks to those qualities. The stone carving depicts Columbus attired in full explorer dress and regalia, with sword in hand, his face tilted upwards. The figure stands on a globe supported by a pedestal that bears the Unico dedication inscription. The carving itself is stiff and rather crude; and essentially of mediocre sculptural quality. It lacks that evocative, emotional connection to pull the viewer in to an uplifting historical story.

Arguments on each side of the issue of this statue have their merits. The Italian-American community argues that taking down this statue cannot solve the pervasive problem of racism; while African-American, native American and minority residents have expressed feeling deeply offended by this statue given Columbus participation and profiting from the slave trade, and forced labor of indigenous people.

Bearing this in mind, the polemics behind what it takes for diverse constituents to actually agree on replacements will be interesting. Selecting a replacement such as Fiorello La Guardia if that is what the city intends on at a future point that would be universally agreed upon by groups involved in this controversy, may be an even more arduous task.

In Great Barrington, Massachusetts, the birthplace of W.E.B. Dubois, widely considered a great civil right leader, activist and writer there was a growing movement by a number of citizens to erect a sculpture of him at the Great Barrington public library. What seemed like a groundswell of support for a statue of this native son to have an eternal placement on library grounds turned quickly into a firestorm of opposition from veterans groups due to Dubois embrace of communism late in life. Town meetings featured opposing presentations from history professors dissecting Dubois notable contributions, and his embrace of communist ideology; as well as from veteran groups opposed to the erection of a statue to a man who espoused communism in his writing and speeches. After a number of meetings and hotly contested debate, the Dubois statue was approved by the town board, and will be installed at a location yet to be determined. But this democratic process even in its best of intentions, left a lot of bad will in the town among various constituencies.

You can take the Columbus statue down following in the footsteps of other Connecticut municipalities, but agreeing on what will replace it may be as bitter a fight as what is going on now. At the very least, lets call upon the Stamford Board of Representatives to commit to a thorough and fair democratic process that will amplify the diverse voices of our residents; and resist caving in to pressure from any one group, before making an informed decision on the statue and the parks future.

Lynn Villency Cohen is a Stamford resident.

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Opinion: Decisions on Stamfords Columbus statue, park decisions need to be informed - The Advocate