The New York Young Republican Club condemns the rash decision by Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot to remove a monumental statue of Christopher Columbus from Grant Park.
Italian immigrants helped to connect Chicago to the Eastern Seaboard when they came to the United States to work as disrespected, low-wage railroad track layers. The descendants of these men number over half a million in the Chicago area, and they form an integral part of the city’s distinctive culture.
Italians who immigrated to the United States in the early twentieth century suffered mass indignities. The recognition of Christopher Columbus as a symbol of Italian presence in the Americas served as a rallying point for them to assert their belonging as part of the American community.
Lori Lightfoot’s removal of this historic statue of Christopher Columbus in the dead of night is a slap in the face to every Italian-American. The New York Young Republican Club calls on Chicagoans of Italian heritage to push for Lori Lightfoot’s removal from office. She has proven in recent months that she lacks both the interest and the skill to keep Chicago safe, and she proved last night that she lacks all respect for Italian-Americans.