Pioneer Press: This isn’t about destroying history, it’s about teaching it
As the Christopher Columbus statue was pulled to the ground at the Capitol in St Paul on June 10th, I heard these words over and over: there is a process to remove the statue. Why didn’t they just do it the right way? Why didn’t they follow the process? Well, I have a simple question? What happens if there actually wasn’t a process? Seriously. What happens if there simply was no process in place to remove a statue from the grounds of the Capitol? I could take it a step further and ask, what happens if the Government actually chose to not have a process to remove a statue no matter how horrific the content? Would that change your mind? Could that complete lack of a voice or option drive many people to take matters into their own hands? Hypothetically of course.
Well, guess what. There wasn’t a process. The Capitol Area Architectural and Planning Board which has ultimate responsibility for this has absolutely no process in place at all to remove a monument. Nothing. Nothing at all and they never have. By the way, they acknowledged exactly this today in an open hearing. Should they bear any responsibility for people taking decisions into their own hands?
Of course, the CAAP Board acknowledges now that they need a process and that is magnificent. It’s critically important and I’m thrilled they are making this move. Bravo to all members of the Board for making this call and to CAAP Board Chair and current Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan in particular. However, what about the people of this state whose desires and demands went unheeded for decades? What about those who saw a figure on a pedestal that was based upon a myth, or worse, a lie? I guess they should just accept it. What if that figure were a genocidal murderer and sex trafficker, how about then? Would that have made a difference? Hypothetically of course.
There is a lot that some Americans don’t know about Christopher Columbus other than 1492 and sailing the Ocean Blue. Well, this isn’t about destroying history. It’s about teaching it and it’s about time we all learn something new. Honestly, I know that for some, this is rough because we learned these myths as kids. I get that. However, when we actually hear the historical truth, it will honestly help make us better Americans. So the answer is yes, some statues need to come down.
As I said, this issue is a national one but a local one too. We have a lot to discuss.
This is what remains of the monument. Chiseled in granite: “To Christopher Columbus Discoverer of America”. To the millions of indigenous people here for 10,000 years before that, that would certainly have been a surprise and to previous explorers who arrived hundreds of years before him, they would beg to differ. Sometimes however, truth and history don’t matter if you can put your version in bronze and stone.