There is a growing petition for a statue of the late rock icon Prince to replace a monument of Italian explorer Christopher Columbus in the Purple One’s hometown of Minneapolis.
Christopher Columbus is a divisive figure in American culture. On one hand, many praise the Italian explorer for his ‘discovery’ of America many years ago, but on the other hand, a large proportion of Americans criticise him for his treatment of the country’s native people when he did so. Recent decades have seen many Americans treat monuments of Columbus as symbols of slavery, and as such, have been actively petitioning for the removal of any statues that celebrate his achievements.
As NME reports, some fans are putting their support behind the removal of a Columbus monument in Minneapolis, Minnesota, hoping to see replaced it with a statue of legendary Minneapolis resident Prince.
“Across the nation, city governments are choosing to remove statues of white supremacists, slave owners, and those who threatened the livelihood of Black people,” the petition begins. “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.”
Prince, who passed away away at his home in Paisley Park, Minnesota last year, has long been considered one of the state’s most famous residents. As such, this growing number of supporters feel that he is an appropriate choice to replace statues of Christopher Columbus. As the petition bluntly states, “Prince represents Minnesota values and Columbus does not.”
Currently, the petition has a total of 5,921 signatures, with a goal of 6,000. If you’re keen on signing, feel free to throw your support behind the cause by heading here (though you will need to provide an American zip code to do so).
In related news, Prince’s band, The New Power Generation, will be heading to Australia next year as part of the 2018 Bluesfest Byron Bay lineup.
Performing a celebration of the life and music of their legendary bandleader, the group will also be performing a couple of sideshows in the process, hitting up Melbourne and Sydney in the days leading up to their Bluesfest appearance.
Check out tour dates below, along with one of their more famous appearances, on Prince’s 1991 single ‘Cream’.
The New Power Generation – celebrating Prince
7pm Mon 26th & Tue 27th March, 2018
170 Russell, Melbourne, VIC
Tickets: Bluesfest Touring | 02 6639 9800
7pm Wed 28th March, 2018
Enmore Theatre, Sydney, NSW
Tickets: Ticketek |13 28 49
Also playing Bluesfest Byron Bay 2018 on Friday 30 and Saturday 31 March
