First, it was Missy Elliot, whose hometown of Portsmouth, VA had a petition signed by over 24,000 people to replace a Confederate statue. This came out of the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.
White supremacist and neo-Nazis met around the statue of Robert E. Lee on the University of Virginia campus. They were protesting for the preservation of white culture.
Now a petition has been made for the removal of a Christopher Columbus monument in Minnesota. And just who would they like to replace it with?
The talented and late singer Prince!
Yes, you read that right, the people want a statue of Prince.
When Christopher Columbus comes to mind, offer you might remember that he sailed the ocean blue in 1492. He landed in North America and made it home.
However what’s not talked about is the destruction caused by this explorer. In his time of exploring, Columbus was responsible for committing rape, genocide and unfair treatment of the Native American population.
A woman by the name of Wintana Melekin has created a campaign that has gone all over social media in support of removing the statue. An excerpt from the petition posted on the Organize For website reads:
“Here in Minnesota, communities are reigniting the demand to bring down state’s monument to Christopher Columbus, a man who murdered, raped and enslaved Black and Native peoples in the Americas. We, the undersigned, do not believe that Columbus represents the values Minnesotans carry. Rather than glorify a man who wanted to extinguish Black and Native peoples, we should honor members of our community whose leadership we find inspirational.
We, the undersigned, up submit that Governor Dayton and the Minnesota State Legislature replace the statue of Columbus with statues representative of Minnesota’s Black and Native communities…
Prince represents Minnesota values and Christopher Columbus does not.”
Although it may seem crazy to put Prince up, you have to remember that on top of all the violence Christopher Columbus caused, he’s also responsible for a lot of historical problems in the United States that still affect Native Americans and African Americans today.
Prince has probably done way more for people with his life and music than Columbus has. I mean just think about how music has helped you.
“Purple Rain” is responsible for not just influencing one generation but many generations after it with amazing music and appreciation for the culture of music.
I mean really has Christopher Columbus won a Life Time Award, Grammy’s or ever have a fan base like Prince?
I don’t think so.
The petition needs 5,000 signatures and already has 4,174. Go on over and support the movement! It’s not as crazy as you think!
(Source: BET)
(AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File)
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