A newly erected statue of Christopher Columbus has been unveiled on the White House grounds, constructed from remnants of a monument that activists dismantled six years ago. The installation took place on Sunday.
This 13-foot, one-ton replica replicates a Columbus statue previously toppled in Baltimore in 2020, which was subsequently thrown into the city’s Inner Harbor. The statue was commissioned by the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations as part of the White House’s celebration of America’s 250th anniversary.
The new statue is prominently displayed outside the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.
Artists salvaged pieces of marble from the original statue found in the harbor to create the new monument. After Baltimore officials declined to reinstall the statue, the organization reached out to the White House for its placement, according to sources within the group.
“Columbus statues have long stood as symbols of pride and cultural identity for more than 18 million Americans of Italian descent,” stated Basil M. Russo, president of the conference. “For over a century, Columbus’s legacy served as a beacon for Italian immigrants facing prejudice and hardship, providing a sense of unity and belonging as they forged new lives in this country.”
Russo further noted, “Columbus Day emerged after the 1891 lynching in New Orleans, where 11 Italian immigrants were killed by a mob. This tragedy spurred a national movement to foster acceptance and assimilation of Italian Americans. This history is central to the significance of these monuments.”
Baltimore’s Columbus statue was torn down in July 2020 by Black Lives Matter activists, who argued the Italian explorer was responsible for the genocide and exploitation of native peoples in the Americas.
The statue was owned by the city and dedicated in 1984 by former Mayor William Donald Schaefer and former President Ronald Reagan.
At the time of the statue’s destruction, a spokesperson for Baltimore’s then Mayor Jack Young said the monument “may represent different things to different people.”
“We understand the dynamics that are playing out in Baltimore are part of a national narrative,” the spokesperson told the Baltimore Sun.
President Trump signed a proclamation last year hailing Columbus as an American hero.
“Columbus Day — we’re back, Italians,” Trump declared after signing the proclamation. “We love the Italians.”
The White House did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
