For those who missed the Columbus in the Crosshairs panel discussion, please click here to watch the full recording. The discussion will also be archived on our YouTube and Museum at Home pages for future viewing.
Click here if you are interested in viewing other talks from Lehigh Valley Engaged Humanities Consortium’s Digital Discussion Series.
A panel discussion examining the intersection of public art, history, and social justice
At this moment of social and political unrest, Christopher Columbus is once again caught in the crosshairs. With calls to remove controversial monuments from public spaces, Easton’s riverfront statue has ignited heated debate. A petition to have it removed has been signed by hundreds of Lehigh Valley residents. Tensions are high.
Activists, public art experts, the Italian American community, and a member of the Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania will discuss the historical context of this particular statue, its past and present meaning, and how communities like ours have grappled with the idolization of problematic figures, including making space for change. The forum will be hosted on Zoom by the Northampton County Historical and Genealogical Society and moderated by Claudia Volpe. An audience Q & A will be held at the end.
Panelists include: Chuck Gentlemoon Demund of the Lenape Nation, Dr. Joseph Scelsa (founder and president of the Italian American Museum in New York City), Dr. Wendy Wilson-Fall (Chair of Lafayette’s Africana Studies Department), Julie Burros (cultural and urban planner), Melissa Darling Meyer (3rd generation Italian American and petition starter), and Dr. Andrea Smith (Lafayette Anthropology Department).
Free to the public, no tickets required.
Zoom links (updated on July 14, 2020):
Click or copy and paste into your search browser: https://tinyurl.com/Columbus18042
The full Zoom info is as follows:
https://lafayette.zoom.us/j/7173554988
Audience members can listen by phone at +1 646 876 9923
Meeting ID: 717 355 4988
The link to the Facebook event is: https://www.facebook.com/events/1732542246888760
This event is sponsored by the Lehigh Valley Engaged Humanities Consortium with generous support provided by a grant to Lafayette College from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The forum will be recorded and available for use by LVAIC faculty. Please contact grant coordinator Kate Pitts at pittsk@lafayette.edu for more information.