Following the movement to remove statues and monuments of racist or otherwise controversial figures from American history, a local group has collected nearly 1,500 signatures in an effort to remove the 117-year-old bust of Christopher Columbus located in downtown Detroit.
The petition also comes amid discussions to change the name of Cobo Center, which was named after a Detroit mayor who advocated for racially charged housing policies that negatively affected African-Americans, including demolishing the Black Bottom and Paradise Valley neighborhoods.
The Raiz Up, a five-year-old hip-hop collective based in Southwest Detroit, is asking Detroit City Council and Mayor Mike Duggan to remove the statue and replace it with a that of a local icon such as Grace Lee Boggs, Sojourner Truth, or Chief Pontiac.
The group is asking the city to commission a Detroit artist to create the statue as well as a group of local historians and activists that would work to ensure the monument represents inclusivity for all Detroiters.…