The issue of controversial statues recently made its way to New York when depictions of Christopher Columbus were vandalized across the city, with one even being beheaded in Yonkers and another in Astoria being tagged with graffiti. Since then, there have been calls for the removal of the Columbus monument at 59th Street in Manhattan in the circle that also bears his name. In response, Mayor de Blasio has created a commission, which will advise him on issues surrounding all public art, as well as historic monuments and markers, on city-owned property that could be deemed hateful.

As the grandson of Italian-American immigrants, I am in favor of keeping the Columbus statue atop its perch in Manhattan, as well as the other statues of Columbus in the city. The statue is a very important piece of Italian-American history in the United States and symbolizes the immigrants’ determination to be accepted in America.