While the 81st Annual Columbus Day Parade was canceled on Oct. 13 due to the nor-easter that swept through New York and much of the East Coast, the legacy of Christopher Columbus was still very much in the news.
Two statues of Columbus — one in Columbus Circle and the other in Astoria — recently took center stage in the city’s mayoral race, with Mayor Eric Adams revealing a plan to push for landmark status for the statues to thwart Zohran Mamdani from tearing them down if he wins City Hall.
While Mamdani, the front-runner in the race, hasn’t explicitly threatened to demolish the statues should he become mayor, he did post a photo of himself on Twitter in 2020 giving a middle finger to the Astoria statue — located in Columbus Square — with a caption calling for it to be torn down.
Adams, who recently announced that he will not seek re-election, told reporters that he will ask the Landmarks Preservation Commission to hold a public hearing before the end of the year on an application filed by Angelo Vivolo, a member of the board of governors of the Columbus Citizens Foundation, to grant landmark status to the two statues.
RELATED: Dept. of Education’s Removal of Columbus Day Sparks Outrage
“As mayor of the city with one of the largest Italian populations in the world, I am proud that we celebrate Italian-American heritage today and every day,” Adams told the New York Post on Oct. 7.
The Columbus Citizens Foundation is the official sponsor of the city’s Columbus Day Parade — the largest parade in the nation dedicated to the famed Italian explorer.
On Oct. 13, the foundation announced that, due to inclement weather — which included heavy rain and strong wind gusts — and Gov. Kathy Hochul declaring a state of emergency the night before the parade, the big march up Fifth Avenue had to be canceled.
“We must cancel the 81st Annual Columbus Day parade for the safety of all participants and viewers,” the foundation said in a statement.
According to the foundation, the parade will not be rescheduled this year but “we look forward to seeing everyone at our 82nd annual parade in 2026.”
Italian-American civic leaders are watching to see what’s next with Adams’ effort to preserve the Columbus statues.
Vivolo, who said he filed the application with the Landmarks Preservation Commission five weeks ago, added that “it’s in motion, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed.”
What happens next is “really in the hands of his administration,” Vivolo said of Adams’ efforts. “I’m happy to work with anyone who’s going to help us preserve the Columbus statues.”
RELATED: NYPD Looking for Suspects in Defacing of Columbus Statue in Central Park
The statues require the protective cover that comes with landmark status, according to Vivolo, who pointed out that while the Columbus Circle statue was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2018, that does not protect it from demolition.
Meanwhile, the Astoria statue is not listed on any historic registry, leaving it vulnerable to potential removal.
While Italian Americans herald Christopher Columbus, his legacy has come under fire in recent years from human rights advocates who charge that he mistreated and enslaved indigenous people during his expeditions to the New World.
In many parts of the U.S., the designation of Columbus Day has been removed from the holiday calendar and replaced with Indigenous Peoples Day. In New York City, the official name of the holiday is Italian Heritage Day/Indigenous Peoples Day.
On Oct. 9, President Donald Trump signed a proclamation declaring Monday, Oct. 13, as Columbus Day, a reversal from his predecessor Joe Biden, who had issued proclamations honoring the day as both Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples Day.
“Outrageously, in recent years, Christopher Columbus has been a prime target of a vicious and merciless campaign to erase our history, slander our heroes, and attack our heritage,” Trump’s proclamation reads.
Vivolo, who said he was outraged when he learned that Mamdani had called for the Columbus Square statue’s demise five years ago, said if given the chance, he would demand answers.
“I would ask him why he felt the way he felt and give me the reasons. And then I would respectfully reply why he was wrong and why he doesn’t really understand the great accomplishments of Christopher Columbus,” he said. “There’s a great deal of negative commentary, but it’s uninformed, and my motto is ‘Drop the hate and seek the truth.’ ”
Mamdani’s campaign did not respond to The Tablet’s request for comment.