Chicago politician renames Columbus Drive for Barack Obama in outrage as Italian-Americans wonder why a former president should be honored “at the expense of an ethnic group” I’m having second thoughts about it.
The Joint Citizens Committee of Italian Americans last week slammed the proposed rebranding as “offensive” and President Ron Onesti called it “insensitive and unvetted.”
Honesti asked, “Why sacrifice an entire nation? Why take such a noble effort and link it to acts of aggression against more than 500,000 Italian Americans in and around Chicago?” He had doubts. According to The Hill.
Chicago City Councilman Lamont Robinson, District 4, is currently considering alternatives, a spokesperson told the Post.
Alderman had written on X On March 20, he sponsored an ordinance to “honor more black men” and promote tourism.
“Chicago’s children have the right to understand that they too can be part of Black history and solidify new tourist destinations to increase Chicago tourism that highlight the places where Black history was made,” Robinson wrote in the post. “There is,” it says.
However, the spokesperson said there was backlash following a meeting between Robinson and Honesti over the weekend.
“They are still talking about this, so no one feels that their group is being discriminated against ethnically,” the spokesperson said. “Nothing has been decided at this time.”
In a press release after the meeting, Onceti said Robinson was “sensitive” to the concerns of Italian American organizations.
“Aldermen seemed genuinely concerned about finding a way to honor our 44th president in a way that all communities support,” Oncety’s statement said.
Columbus Drive runs 3.54 miles north-south and divides Grant Park.
Robinson’s office said the name change was meant to honor Obama’s history rather than eliminate Christopher Columbus.
“President Barack Obama gave a historic victory speech in Grant Park, just outside of Columbus, and not because of the controversy surrounding him,” a spokesperson said.
