Last year, Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh invited community members and others to participate in a dialogue about the Columbus statue and monument. One of the outcomes was a decision to remove the statue. I strongly agree with the mayor’s decision to remove the Columbus statue.

This decision has upset some Italian-Americans in our community, understandably. Like many working-class cities in the early 20th century, Syracuse took in many immigrants from southern Italy and Sicily. These newcomers weren’t always welcomed except by those who saw them as cheap labor for the rapidly developing city. For many Italian-Americans, Columbus is a hero.