Columbus, Ohio, named for Christopher Columbus, removing Christopher Columbus statue

Columbus, Ohio says it will remove a statue of Christopher Columbus at city hall as soon as possible.

Mayor Andrew Ginther announced Thursday that the statue will no longer stand in front of the government building, saying the symbol “does not represent our great city, and we will no longer live in the shadow of our ugly past.”

The city is named after the famous Italian explorer credited with opening the Americas to colonization but destroying native people during his expeditions. The statue was a gift from Genoa, Italy in 1955.

Across the U.S., cities are taking down controversial statues — including those of Columbus — as the country reexamines race issues in the aftermath of the death of George Floyd, a Black man who died after a now-charged Minneapolis officer pinned him to the ground. In some instances, protesters have torn down or vandalized Columbus statues.

“For many people in our community, the statue represents patriarchy, oppression and divisiveness,” Ginther said. “Now is the right time to replace this statue with artwork that demonstrates our enduring fight to end racism and celebrate the themes of diversity and inclusion.”

The statue will be put in storage while the city’s art commission determines artwork that “better reflects the people of Columbus and offers a shared vision for the future.”

The city is not the only Columbus namesake to remove a Columbus statue. On Tuesday, Columbus State Community College said it plans to remove its statue from a downtown Columbus campus, WBNS reported.

This story was originally published June 18, 2020 at 12:12 PM with the headline "Columbus, Ohio, named for Christopher Columbus, removing Christopher Columbus statue."