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Joggers enjoy the sun when they run near the Scioto River in Columbus, Ohio. (Jay LaPrete / AP)
In 1992, a 32-hectare park located a few miles from downtown Columbus, Ohio, turned it into a floral wonderland. The six-month exposure was a kind of cross between a Disney-obsessed version of Disney's Epcot horticulture and a miniature world exhibition, with a waterfall, a rose garden of 130 varieties, an exhibition of herbs from almost every continent and a Garden of the Community of Nations "must be one of the main roads of Paradise," as the Washington Post then describes it.
That was all for Christopher Columbus, billed as the "centerpiece" of the United States on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of his trip to the New World in 1492. Boycotted by the Native Americans, who drew attention to the abuses Committed by Columbus with regard to national events that year, the Ohio celebration cost $ 95 million.
But this year, the city of the same name as the Ohio explorer saves some money: Columbus has totally canceled his Columbus Day sighting.
The mayor's office announced its decision Friday in a brief and informal press release, avoiding the policy that has traditionally accompanied the changes to the controversial federal holiday in other cities. The mayor's office said the decision was not tied to the national movement to rename Columbus Day as "Aboriginal Peoples Day" because of its enslavement and exploitation of Aboriginal peoples.
It's because the city is running out of money to give its 8,500 employees a day off for both Columbus Day and the Veterans Day, Mayor Robin Davis' spokesman said Monday in Washington. Washington Post. The city has chosen Veterans Day.
"We have chosen to close Veterans Day instead of Columbus Day to honor those who have served our country," said Davis, adding that this would be Columbus' first year of closure for Alumni Day. fighters on November 12. "To be good stewards of taxpayers' money, we did not think it prudent to add an extra paid holiday."
Columbus Day has been a federal holiday since 1934. However, many cities and states have given up celebrating it since 1992, when Berkeley, California became the first city to rename the festival as "Aboriginal Peoples Day". in favor of the recognition of the Amerindians. Cincinnati is one of the newest jurisdictions to have renamed Aboriginal Peoples Day this year after two unsuccessful attempts.
"It will not totally change the story, but we're about to understand that Columbus Day is completely wrong," said City Councilor Tamaya Dennard, Cincinnati Enquirer said.
President Trump's statements at Columbus Day this year and in 2017 have ignored the tragic plight of Native Americans, unlike former President Barack Obama, who said in his 2015 proclamation that "we recognize also the suffering inflicted on the Amerindians ". strengthen tribal sovereignty and maintain our close ties. "
In Columbus, the explorer had been a source of pride in the 19th century and the 20th century, when three statues were erected in his honor over the decades. The one outside the city hall arrived in 1955 as a gift from Genoa, Italy, which would be the cradle of Christopher Columbus.
But it was the subject of protests last year against the enslavement of natives by Columbus, the organizer of the event wishing to rename the city itself.
"Christopher Columbus was an agent and continues to be a symbol of the genocide of the indigenous peoples of the Americas," said Elissa Washuta, a protester and member of the Cowlitz Indian tribe, at Columbus Dispatch in August 2017.
In fact, Columbus, Ohio, has no real connection with the man himself. It was named after Columbus in 1812, when state lawmakers decided to move the state capital, for displacement purposes, to a more central location. But the link, or lack of connection, with the name of the city remains unclear. According to the book "Columbus: The History of a City" by historian Ed Lentz, the state legislator who lived in this area simply admired Columbus and persuaded his colleagues that his name would make a good name for the capital.
After the city announced last week that it would not celebrate Columbus Day, the group that seemed most upset was the Italo-Americans, who traditionally celebrated their heritage the same day. The Italian Columbus Day parade continued as usual on Sunday.
"If you're a city mayor and his name is Columbus, why not take advantage of it?" Said Joseph Contino, board member of the Columbus Italian Festival, to the Associated Press. "Enjoy this day to celebrate all the culture, celebrate the Italians and the natives."
The Columbus Italian Club has posted a Facebook link to Dispatch's article on the city's decision not to celebrate Columbus with only emoji commentary.
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