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(COLUMBUS, Ohio) – The largest city named in honor of Christopher Columbus has ended the celebration of the division's holiday that honors the explorer, taking smart steps to link the passage to a politically secure demographic: veterans.
Ohio's capital, with a population of 860,000, will open Monday after celebrating Columbus Day, likely "as long as it exists," said Robin Davis, spokesman for Democratic mayor Andrew Ginther. City offices will be closing for Veterans Day, which falls on November 12 this year.
Native Americans and their allies have long used Columbus Day to improve their concerns. This includes a peaceful protest of prayers, speeches and traditional songs in 2016 at the Columbus City Hall – under the statue of the explorer who lies ahead – to protest the Dakota access pipeline and to urge Ohio to support more renewable energy.
The decision to stop observing the party was not triggered by the national movement to abolish Columbus Day in favor of Indigenous Peoples Day as a means of recognizing the victims of colonialism, Davis said. Columbus Day marks the arrival of the Italian explorer in the Americas on October 12, 1492.
"We have a number of veterans working for the city, and there are so many here in Columbus," Davis said. "We thought it was important to give them this day off." She added that the city did not have the budget to offer its 8,500 employees on its two days off, she said.
Columbus made the announcement Thursday in a two-paragraph press release focused on the impact on garbage collection and parking schedules. In this way, he avoided much of the consternation that took place elsewhere during the holidays.
Akron's attempt to rename the holiday turned out to be ugly last year, dividing the all-democratic city council on racial lines. Five black members voted to rename the holiday and eight white members voted against, thus keeping the holiday.
A similar effort failed twice in Cincinnati before a vote Wednesday finally recognized Columbus Day as the renowned Day of Aboriginal Peoples. It has become the second largest city in Ohio to do so, after the liberal university town of Oberlin in 2017. Cleveland, which has a large Italian-American population, continues to host a major parade of Columbus Day.
According to Joseph Contino, a member of the board, the organizers of the 39-year-old Columbus festival in Columbus, traditionally held on the Columbus weekend, were not notified of the decision.
"It's very fashionable politically right now. It is not for me that I say anything against indigenous peoples, "he said. "You can kick Christians, you can kick Catholics. That's the message he sends us and that's what we feel. we are Europeans and we cut off the heads of the Indians. Which is just not true. "
Contino said that he considered the decision regarding the holidays as a missed opportunity.
"If you are a city mayor and his name is Columbus, why not take advantage of it? Use it to unite everyone, "he said. "Enjoy this day to celebrate all the culture, celebrate the Italians and the natives."
Tyrone Smith, director of the Native American Indian Center in central Ohio, said the city's decision was another step toward growing diversity.
"The past is the past, it may not be beautiful sometimes, but we can not oppose what has happened to today 's society, no matter what. their lineage, "he said." The fact that the city of Columbus is taking action is a victory for all. "
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