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Six years ago, racial division and chaos led to the toppling of a statue of Christopher Columbus in Baltimore. Now, however, the statue is being reconstructed and placed on the White House grounds.
Pray for your fellow intercessor.
From Straight Arrow News:
Almost six years ago, amid a racial reckoning brought on by the killing of George Floyd, protesters in Baltimore toppled a statue of Christopher Columbus and dumped it into the city’s harbor.
Now the statue — or, more precisely, a reconstructed version of it — is back, in a far more prominent location.
The Trump administration plans to place the Columbus statue on the White House grounds, The Washington Post reported. Originally unveiled by President Ronald Reagan, it has been rebuilt by Washington-area sculptors with the support of a group of Italian businessmen and politicians. Local charities and federal grants funded the project.
Straight Arrow News (SAN) notes that, in recent years, Columbus has become a polarizing figure. Critics accuse him of committing genocide against Native Americans. Even before 2020, some states had already begun replacing Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Anti-Columbus sentiment reached a fever pitch, however, during the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020.
Former President Joe Biden was the first commander-in-chief to celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day alongside Columbus Day, slighting the Italian explorer from the White House. In contrast, President Trump has staunchly defended Columbus. In October of last year, the President signed a proclamation formally recognizing Columbus day and honoring the explorer as “the original American hero,” according to SAN.
In countless areas, President Trump is working tirelessly to honor the American heroes of the past, even those seen in a controversial light, and to celebrate America’s history. As our nation celebrates its 250th anniversary this year, let’s thank God for all those who make America what it is today!
What do you think of the President’s decision to reconstruct this statue? Share your thoughts and prayers below.
(Excerpt from Straight Arrow News. Photo Credit: Bohemian Baltimore – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=79454610)
