Ed Board Bids Good-bye To Columbus, Too

It's about time! Good job to those who are speaking up about such an important issue. It always seemed like a contradiction to have a Hispanic school named after Columbus! This is 2020!

Thanks, Darnell, for daring to suggest that members of the community to be so offended would not even be asked what they thought of removing the name Christoper Columbus from a school. If the greatest discovery in history was a bad thing; how come nobody is leaving to go back where they came from. Let's repatriate Italians to Italy! Poles to Poland! Black to Africa, Chinese to China, Irish to Ireland. Then, will the mad dogs of revenge and hatred be finally satisfied?

A city and community that is always looking backwards and refighting battles of the past can never move forward. NH is moving in reverse; not forward as they think. This solves nothing but give offense to a group people who were instrumental in building the industrial New Haven of the 20th century with their toil and blood. We'll see how the new masters do, now that they are in charge.. It will not end well.

Since we're going to ignore history from now on should we now burn all the books?
Wait, there's another book you shouldn't burn by Marx and Engel, The Communist Manifesto. We're all going to become communist now, right?

ULA's petition and advocacy belong in this article.

(That's them in the photograph.)

What is the point of "Indigenous Peoples' Day"? Why are indigenous peoples more worthy of celebration than Columbus? Certainly, they too, like most peoples, engaged in what today would be called "crimes against humanity", including waging genocidal wars.

"The city's latest reckoning with the 15th-century explorer's violent legacy." Before charging headlong in renaming "Columbus Day" to "Indigenous People's Day", do some research on how "peaceful" the Precolumbian Indigenous people really were. Changing one mistake for another. Honor buildings and days with ideals, concepts, not people

It's ironic Christopher Columbus actually discovered Puerto Rico and now a school that is predominantly Hispanic now wants his name removed from the school. Columbus NEVER set foot on American soil. The board of Ed in New Haven should be ashamed of their selves for such a ridiculous decision. I'm really disappointed that Hispanics don't more about their own history. Hispanics should be celebrating Columbus and speaking out against these anarchistic attempts to tear down statues of Christopher Columbus.

The title of this article should read "Ed Board Bids Good-bye to Goldson Too". I thought that this was the person on that board who was gonna "keep it real" so to speak. However he is overwhelmingly concerned with how the Italian community is gonna hold it together while condemning Obama stating that "He killed thousands upon thousands in the Iraq war." This truly proves that just because people share the same complexion doesn't always equate to the same outlook on various issues that we may have in common due to race. He and Kimber the person he referred to as a "friend" in other articles always seem to be opportunist that have bamboozled some folk in the black community in the Elm City for personal gain. His "people" are in crisis and have the opportunity to make progress by ridding ourselves of some of a symbol that represents oppression and racism that has claimed way more lives than Covid-19 and he votes against it.
I love the Italian community and culture. I appreciate their endless contributions to this city and its my belief that most support the boards decision. I have never heard my Italian friends speak highly of Columbus while condemning the first black commander and chief. I hope New Haven is watching and we take this in account when its time for his re-election.
Now I see the connection and why he and his friend (Kimber) remained silent when this video came out. https://youtu.be/4anoNAiiRvw
How does that happen in our community to a young black male who is supposed to be protected in school and these two leaders in particular who are very vocal had absolutely NOTHING to say about it!! To overcome this issue and all others this world is facing "Good" people have to align themselves with other "Good" people and fight injustices and other "Evil" people regardless of skin tone. Looks like this Board is off to a good start given all of the obstacles that it has faced but ultimately its my opinion that Goldson Goes and maybe is buddy will follow.

To me, the discussion around acknowledging the real history of Columbus is a form of democracy. Hopefully, everyone will have their say.

I appreciate that Darnell mentioned the crimes of Obama as well. Yes, as President his policy was killing people in Iraq and deporting people back to Latin America. Didn't they call him the "Deporter in Chief".

I wonder if Germans who lived in New Haven wanted to erect a few statues of Hitler, would they be able to do that?

Would they be welcomed to have a Hitler Day Parade?

As I have often heard people in Europe say, "We never give Hitler the podium".

Whatacity...your anti-communism crap has gone out of vogue. People fear 45 more than some vague illusion that some outside threat is going to come and get us. Come on!

I say this because years ago during an Arts and Ideas Bike Ride, Arron Goode hosted a "Jewish History Tour" of well-known New Haven Jews and what they accomplished.

And, it was a lot. I will never forget it especially visiting the Sholl on Orchard Street!

At one point on our Tour we stopped on Howe Street where Mr. Goode explained to us how New Haven Jews who were in the Communist Party contributed to New Haven culture. New Haven Jews also supported each other, and we should be grateful for the work and efforts they made to make New Haven a better place not only for New Haven's Jews, but for all working people who lived here.

On a national scale, you can thank the U.S. Communist Party for bringing you (and us) the 8-Hour workday, Social Security, Unemployment Benefits, and end to the Viet Nam War.

@CityYankee, "The greatest discovery in history"?? how exactly do you "discover" someplace that's already inhabited?

I'm personally indifferent toward Columbus. I don't need to see his statues.

The greater question that bothers is the following.

Why don't I, as a resident of New Haven, have a say in local matters and affairs? Since when does the mob have such great political power to affect change? Why are the local officials reacting now to this new and un-vetted pressure instead of being proactive? What is going on really and who is pulling the strings?

Are you just going to react blindly to everything now or are we going to stick to the democratic process?

I wonder what the 25th Century people will say about us.

These comments are incredibly IGNORANT, as well as hurtful.
We are in 2020, and people are still saying that Columbus "discovered" Puerto Rico?
The TAINOS were already there!!!

In my opinion, Indigenous peoples are THE most oppressed people, possibly on the world, literally losing their population, lives, land, culture, and language to colonizers.
The US probably thinks its fine now, but no amount of casino money can change that.

As a Puerto Rican American, I have to say that no matter HOW we look, we were Taino people first and foremost. In terms of school, it is very important to teach our children that!
In these comments, for people to say that the indigenous are gone, is terrible! I took an ancestry DNA test about 4 years ago, and I am 19% native (aka Taino). That is MORE than 1/8th.
Taino descendants are ALIVE, intelligent, and have a voice; AND are part of the New Haven community.

If you want to include a community, why not name it under one of our great Caciques (chiefs), like Agueybana or Urayoan? People whose actions actually demonstrated "community".
Why not teach children about their history?

@wesunidad said it best...
'I wonder if Germans who lived in New Haven wanted to erect a few statues of Hitler, would they be able to do that?
Would they be welcomed to have a Hitler Day Parade?
As I have often heard people in Europe say, "We never give Hitler the podium".'

@ NHINDEPREADER--- here's why what you offered is not the entire community may agree with--Puerto Ricans are not the only people in New Haven. Not all Latinos are Puerto Rican and in favor of elevating Puerto Ricans over other Latinos.

Perhaps we should do what NYC used to do. Public School 1, Public School 2....etc. Not sure who that will offend but it probably will offend someone.

Are we not learning that in the history of New Haven that the faces of neighborhoods change? In order to save money on signage, vetting of the person who's name is on the school including a deep dive into said person's family history, I recommend we go to a number system, an example would be P.S. 5 (Public School 5). As we head for the development of a Star Chamber you may agree with toppling statues, I see The New York Museum of Natural History is removing a statue of Theodore Roosevelt because the artist (or the artists' benefactor) vision is today deemed offensive. How long will works of art begin to be covered or destroyed because the subject is no longer PC? Didn't "progressives" use to laugh at censors?

I know the communist manifesto was mentioned by a commented in a derogatory fashion, but the actual document demanded such controversial items as abolition of child labor, free primary education, publicly owned transportation(i.e rails) and a progressive income tax.

I think that naming the school after a New Haven outstanding educator or a person of great contribution to our city or to that neighborhood would make the most sense. Since all humans are flawed, and nobody is perfect, pick someone who most people would agree was mostly a good person and contributed the most good for the city or the neighborhood in their field.
No murderers, rapists, child molesters, animal
abusers, slave owners/traders or other people who irreparably harmed other beings need apply. I think at a bare minimum we should all be able to agree on that point.
It's time to stop overlooking that people in history did horrific things, and stop honoring their accomplishments while ignoring their atrocities. We have to embrace the good, bad and ugly as history and be taught the whole truthful facts in our history classes, but the honor of having a building, a statue, a bridge, a park or a street dedicated to an individual should be considered carefully, and not without a thorough examination and explanation of the reasons why they were chosen.

Are we not learning that in the history of New Haven that the faces of neighborhoods change? In order to save money on signage, vetting of the person who's name is on the school including a deep dive into said person's family history, I recommend we go to a number system, an example would be P.S. 5 (Public School 5). What would Native American's care about an "Indigenous Day" just save a "day off" and for retailers to announce the beginning of the Christmas buying season? As we head for the development of a Star Chamber you may agree with toppling statues, I see The New York Museum of Natural History is removing a statue of Theodore Roosevelt because the artist (or the artists' benefactor) vision is today deemed offensive. How long will works of art begin to be covered or destroyed because the subject is no longer PC? Didn't "progressives" use to laugh at censors?

@CityYankee Please do not "@" me. The comments sections is to leave public comments towards an article. People are commenting on the article, and not YOU. Its not a place for you to find discourse.

For the record, I never said any of what you are alleging. I never said Puerto Ricans were the "only" people in NH, so just stop. Taino peoples are the ancestors of many groups of people, not just Puerto Ricans, and not just Latinos, other groups as well.

I never said to elevate Puerto Ricans over other people. If you name a school Booker T. Washington, you are NOT elevating Black people over other people. There is NOTHING wrong with picking an indigenous person to name a school after, but yes it would be appropriate to pick an indigenous person of much of the community's background.

I will not reply to you again. Please do not @ me.

@charger67 you are trying to give us a history lesson? You should really study up because you are way off. First, Columbus discovered absolutely nothing. The America's were already populated by millions of indigenous people. And for the record Columbus first voyage landed on what is today known as the Dominican Republic/Haiti.

And your comment about Columbus never stepping on American soil implies that the USA owns all of the Americas. Truth is that the USA has hijacked the term American. Let me school you some, lets look at our name. United States of America. Do you see it? The United States is part OF America not the other way around.
The Americas existed long before the U.S. did. So technically like it or not all Latinos born in North, Central, & South America are AMERICANS! US Citizenship is another matter.
Last but not least, dropping Christopher Columbus name is the right thing to do. We should never accept the recognition of a figure that doesn't embody the values of which this nations preaches in the constitution. This isn't about changing history either. Its about accurately documenting it. Would we be having this discussion if we were talking about Hitler? Most definitely not and that is because history has been properly documented. Hats off to the board members who supported the name change and shame on those members who love to grand stand and play politics. Darnell Goldson would you have opposed the name change if it were called Robert E Lee Family Academy? Probably not. Stop being a hypocrite!

Son of elm I happen to be an Italian American and all my Italian American friends are NOT okay with disparaging Christopher Columbus or taking down his statue.

500 years from now, the world will be different. I strongly believe that by the standards of the 26th Century things such as abortion, use of fuel, fear of extraterrestrial beings and consumption of meat will be absolutely abhorrent.

Goldson makes an interesting bringing up Pres. Obama. Most of us now view him as a respectable gentleman who broke a crucial barrier, inspired so many and brought in the repeal of don't ask don't tell and legalized gay marriage (among many other important accomplishments). Using the standards being applied to take down SOME of the statues (ie Grant), he should not be honored by history because of his initial opposition to gay marriage, deportation policy and use of drones in the Middle East.

I am not defending Columbus specifically, but we should be think hard before we put ourselves on a moral pedestal above those in the past.

It is too bad we have this TrumPencian pandemic and we cannot all gather and discuss as a community a name change in some space such as as City Hall,a library or a school with some coffee and refreshments (preferably some Cannolis). Since we tout in tourist literature the theme of Revolutionary Connecticut( https://www.ctvisit.com/articles/revolutionary-connecticut) why not honor those individuals who truly were revolutionaries and met their fate at the hands of US Imperialism and Fascist forces. By this renaming and a public discussion it is a step in the atoning for the sins of US reactionaries, fascists, right wing politicians and the Military Industrial Complex. This way in a Zinnian fashion we can start a process of beginning a quest for Truth and Reconciliation. Some of my suggestions for this School/Family Academy: Ernesto Che Guevara, Salvador Allende, Ethel & Julius Rosenberg, Fannie Lou Hamer, Lolita Lebron, Amilcar Cabral, Rosa Luxemburg, Ho Chi Minh, Antonio Gramsci, Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya, Sophie Scholl, Albizu Campos, to name just a few and I believe our great collective citizenry should be able to come up with a proper and deserving name.

Mayor Elicker has no right to speak for the Italian Americans. He betrayed all of us, even the Italian American cronies who flock around him during the election.

Well when that statue comes down tomorrow I start campaigning to bring down his mayoral status. During his inauguration he said that all New Haven people are important, the new and the life long residents.

You see Darnell and even Rev. Kimber are down with Italian Americans, they know us and love us as we love them and their community.

I think a lot of people writing comments here have to check some facts. Columbus didn't discover anything. He didn't colonize anything. Everywhere he went, they were societies that had developed with individual cultures. The only thing he did was exploit people and resources, and report back to Spain to allow more extensive exploitation There are thousands of Italian artists, inventors, writers and the like. Just as in every country that exist today or did exist in the past. If the school was supposed to be named honoring Italian heritage, pick someone who is worthy of the honor.

@Son of Elm,

You can continue to try to tell lies on me, I can probably guess who you are. like all your other pronouncements, this statement you made " while condemning Obama stating that "He killed thousands upon thousands in the Iraq war" is a lie. People can read and also eventually view the BOE meeting video themselves. You know I led the charge to name the school after Obama (I'm a HUGE fan). You conveniently left out the beginning of that quote "
"The question is should we memorialize people who have committed crimes against humanity? I think the historical record about Columbus is very clear," board member Edward Joyner said in support of the renaming motions.

The only board member to vote against ditching Columbus's name was Darnell Goldson.

He said New Haven's Italian American community should have more input on the matter.

And he argued that, if Board of Education members at some point in the future decided they wanted to rename Barack H. Obama Magnet University School, he would want New Haven's African American community to have ample opportunities to speak up.

"I had some people who came up to me [during that naming] to say that he killed thousands upon thousands in the Iraq wars," Goldson said about Obama. "I don't want someone to change that school's name because they say that he was a war criminal."

It's right here, in the article, so the question becomes - do have an handicap ready and comprehending, or did you deliberately misquote me for for nefarious reasons?

Inquiring minds would like to know.

@charger67 I actually wrote that this boils down to good vs evil. Which side do you think that Columbus represents? Would you like for his actions to be carried out on any group of people that you identify with? You are not the voice for all Italians just like Kimber or Goldson don't represent all African Americans.

@The Cause in regards to your comment "Darnell and even Kimber are down with Italian Americans, they know us and love us we love them and their community." You probably want to review this article and redefine your definition of love. https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-xpm-2002-06-13-0206130547-story.html

I'll Wait

V. Rabinowitz...thank you for not letting us forget these amazing, fighters for peace and justice!

May I add Joelle Fishman, Angela Davis, Ella Baker, Geronimo, David Sigueiros and Nora Astorga (who I heard speak in NYC just before she died)?

Thank you again...PEACE!

I would say to Tamiko Jackson-MacArthur that she hasn't spoken to very many people then. You want to take down the statue or rename a school, fine. But don't give me this argument that that it "represents a time of colonialism and atrocities". This whole country was built on colonialism and atrocities. Because if you take down the statue of Columbus or rename a school, you're also going to have to rename every Anglo named city and town in the state. As John Oliver once pointed out, the British killed 30 million Native Americans. So are we going to rename Hartford? Chesire? Manchester? New London? History is often messier than what were actually taught. These people weren't gods, they were men. Like all men, they were flawed. I'm pretty sure now someone will find a flaw with Amerigo Vespucci.

Quite frankly I'm curious as to why the school is called a "family academy"? Was that an effort to change the name just enough to get it off the list of failing public schools under No Child Left Behind?

@RobotShlomo What would "family academy " have to do with getting off a list of failing schools? It is not the only school with academy in the name

@See123 I'm not entirely versed on the provisions in the No Child Left Behind act, however from what I recall around the time it was passed and signed into law around 2002 was when all these schools started changing their names. Clinton Avenue School became "Clinton Avenue Language Academy". Betsy Ross Middle School became "Betsy Ross Arts Magnet School". It seemed a bit more than coincidence.

<blockquote>@See123 says 4. The piss poor social studies curriculum should be revamped to include these notable people and cultures rather than honor through the name of the school </blockquote>

How about we do one better. Instead of "social studies", let's get back to teaching CIVICS, as in the study of how government works. One out of every five Americans can't name a single branch of government, and 32% can't name a single branch. Only a third of the population actually votes, and the rest of us are so beaten down that we just resign ourselves to this horror show that's going on around us. There's a disconnect as to how voting affects your day to day life. We need to get back to get to a participatory democracy.

The other thing we need to do is to stop wasting students time teaching them teaching things because "reasons". When I went to Wilbur Cross, we had to read Ethan Frome. Why? It served no purpose. We would have been much better off reading something "It Can't Happen Here" by Sinclair Lewis.

https://youtu.be/U9tzDRVEYxM?t=153

We really do have to rethink what we're teaching in public schools, and it has to come down to more than just "Oh, we can't teach that because it's about a white man, and it makes me feel bad". Sometimes you learn things that DO make you feel bad, but that's why you learn them, so you don't make those types of mistakes in the future.

Name the school after Dr. Abie Benitez

On his very first voyage he was required to keep a daily diary, ship's log, which I just read. He raided villages and homes of indigenous people and captured men women and children to hold captive (against their will) on his ship, to take back to Spain. (some of them managed to escape).

this shows a lack of social conscience on his part.

How many people in the area of the United States did Columbus kill and enslave? None.

How many did the people from England kill and enslave? Millions.

I'm not exonerating Columbus or saying his statues should stand, but it's mighty convenient to blame him even as we get ready each year to celebrate Thanksgiving, which was a lot more proximate to the slaughter.



.

It is my understanding he made at least four voyages... it will be interesting to see what he reports in voyages, 2, 3, 4.