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Petition to Change Name of Columbus Catholic Schools Causes Social Media Firestorm

Thursday, June 18th, 2020 -- 8:46 AM

(WDLB) -A social media firestorm has erupted, after three alumni of Columbus Catholic Schools started an online petition to change the name of the school, citing the personal history of Christopher Columbus.

The petition, found at ipetitions.com, was started by Ruthey and Ella Schultz and Ada Inman, all recent graduates of Columbus. The petition states, in part, “Celebrating Christopher Columbus delegitimizes the experiences of black and indigenous peoples by celebrating a man who acted in deeply racist ways and harmed many. Christopher Columbus personally enslaved and sold over 1,000 Indigenous Peoples, pillaged their communities, and murdered countless others. Instead of being named after a man who represents racism and hatred, our school should be named after someone or something representing justice and understanding, the values we promote as a Catholic school.” School President David Eaton says changing the school name is not as easy as it sounds and would be costly and very time-consuming. The petition also calls for the removal of the Christopher Columbus statue in front of the high school. And while the girls state in their petition they understand many members of the community feel a strong connection to the name of their school system, they feel it is important to “recognize the hatred and pain Christopher Columbus represents for so many people.”

Eaton says the school’s name has more to do with the Knights of Columbus fraternal charitable organization. Eaton says the personal history of Christopher Columbus was little known in the 1950’s, and those who chose the name likely did so more to honor the help and legacy of the Knights of Columbus than to honor Columbus the man. But Easton says he’s not opposed to having a conversation regarding the school’s name. Eaton says the creators of the petition have not spoken to any member of the school’s administrative team, the dean, or any pastors. And he says a rebranding would not be cheap. He says everything large and small bearing the name or logo would have to be replaced, including totally stripping and refinishing a new gym floor, and replacing scoreboards, records, banners, and signage on three buildings, not to mention the loss of decades worth of name recognition, at a time when Columbus Catholic Schools is a well-known option and enrollment is steadily growing.

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