Columbus | the past, the monument, the parade

On 8 October 2018 Manhattan's Fifth Avenue will be transformed for the Columbus Day Parade. The parade will be led by Grand Marshal Guy Chiarello, President of First Data Corporation.

Columbus Circle, New York City, circa 1907

Over 35,000 people participate in the Columbus Day Parade in New York City each year, including over 100 groups, with bands, floats, and contingents. The parade attracts nearly one million spectators and is the largest celebration of Italian-American culture in the world.

Much as New Yorkers love the festivities, communities are divided over celebrating the man and his purpose. American immigrants, many of who come from colonized countries, believe we should abandon a holiday that celebrates Columbus' crimes and perpetuates criminal colonizer behavior.

Columbus Circle, 1939

Indigenous People's Day was created as an alternative "to express appreciation for our survival, acknowledgement of our contribution to today’s world community, and to commemorate our fallen patriots".

The New York Coliseum, 1956 - 2000

During the Obama years, the celebrations were inclusive and celebrated colonizers and immigrants equally. Under today's Trump administration the divide is more obvious and painful. A reminder to us all that our differences can so easily bring us together or break us apart.

Columbus Circle from inside the Time Warner Building

wonder | wander | women find ourselves prodded further to choose wisely and vote well.

View from the top of the Mandarin Hotel, NYC