Most Reverend Kevin C. Rhoades
Fr. Jenkins’ decision to cover the Columbus murals in the Main Building came as a surprise of mixed feelings in my email inbox this past weekend. As The Observer has reported, students and staff over the years have called for the removal of the murals depicting the Italian explorer, arguing that the installation in Notre Dame’s Main Building — arguably the university’s most recognizable landmark — painted Columbus as a savior to Native Americans, despite well-documented history to the contrary. Perhaps Jenkins was spurred to action by the viral video of white, Catholic high school students at the March for Life mocking an older, Native American drummer, an especially jarring encounter given that it’s Martin Luther King Jr. weekend. Who knows?
Solutions by The State News
