Sam, As an Italian-American myself (a great start to any body of work) I would like to address the general ignorance that exists around Italian ‘role model’ Christopher Columbus. I would like to say Columbus was a nonsensical and murderous person who should not be idolized in any sense. If we want to preserve the importance of “history,” let's lay out some facts about murder-y old Columbus. Number 1 He thought the earth was shaped like a pear, and had a nipple on the top. Yup that's true! He did not find out the the world was a globe — like so many people seem to believe. Save that one for sex-ed I guess. One can guess that this nipple was female-presenting, as history — much like tumblr — wants to censor this out. Number 2 The entire fabrication of Columbus’ story that so many people have taken as fact was actually a story written by Washington Irving (writer of Sleepy Hollow). “The Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus,” is fiction, loosely and — I mean loosely — based on Columbus’ life. The book claims Columbus found out the world was round, but actually it was common knowledge in his day. (If you want to learn more, my non-rage readers check out the book Inventing the Flat Earth: Columbus and Modern Historians by Jeffrey Burton Russell). Number 3 White Italian-Americans are not discriminated against in today’s climate. I have nothing more to add on this — it’s fact. Number 4 In the words of Lady Gaga, “I’m an Italian girl from New York. I’m Italian, from a strong Italian family. I’m Italian. I’m Italian. So, I’m Italian. But I’m Italian, so. I’m very Italian. And I’m Italian.” I think we are all a bit tired of hearing about Italian history. We should all recognize that there are better Italian role models than dusty Columbus, and that Native American/Indigenous peoples rarely get their story told in history. Indigenous people have essentially been wiped out by the murderous and hideous nature of colonialism. What I would like to see happen is greater focus on their stories, their culture and their lives. History has long since ignored the fact that all of the United States’ institutions (including Saint Mary’s, Notre Dame and Holy Cross) exist on and take up Native lands. To close out: Respect the rights and sovereignty of Native Americans — that's quick maths! And, it is my artistic opinion, or Viewpoint, that the murals are boring, uncreative and frankly showcases a deliberate lie about the history of the United States. Some things to check out — Snite Museum exhibit: Revisions: Contemporary Native Art, the Pokagon Band of of Potawatomi website and the Native American Student Association Facebook page Multiple people in the house know, therefore you should know the truth.
Mary Marta Antonetti
junior
Feb. 13
