It was the worst of years.
The bleak Covid-19 months of 2020 gave way to Italian Americans scapegoated for the death of George Floyd.
Our hero—Christopher Columbus—the founder of the New World—became the target of opportunistic politicians and mindless mobs.
Statues of Columbus were torn down everywhere.
Baltimore might have been the worst among settings of destruction. On July 4, 2020, the Columbus statue, in the Inner Harbor was lynched, pulled down to the ground, dumped in the murky waters nearby, and cheered on by a mass of masked young adults.
That was then…this is now.
.jpg)
Baltimore's Columbus monument now stands in front of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building; a donation to
President Donald Trump as brokered by Basil Russo and other Italian American leaders
⸻
Goodbye Baltimore, Hello Washington
Christopher Columbus is back.
The founder of the New World has returned—not to Baltimore, where his statue was disgustingly disgraced, but to the very doorstep of American power.
The Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations, led by Basil Russo, brokered the statue’s donation to the White House.
President Donald Trump readily accepted the artwork to be proudly displayed—front and center—at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, next door to the White House.
Thank you, Judge Russo. Thank you Mr. President.
Bad day in Baltimore: The Columbus Monument torn down on July 4, 2020
______
Heroic Recovery
The story began on Independence Day. The celebration of America’s birth turned hellish in 2020.
Amid the nationwide unrest following the death of George Floyd, while in police custody in Minneapolis, protesters gathered…in Baltimore. They surrounded the Columbus statue, a fixture of the neighborhood since 1984. Within minutes, the monument was toppled, dragged through the streets, and hurled into the Inner Harbor.
The statue might have remained at the bottom of the marina, another relic of a turbulent year. Instead, it was recovered—fragment by fragment.
Out of those broken pieces came an unlikely idea: not simply to restore the statue, but to remake it. Using salvaged marble along with new material, sculptor Will Hemsley created a new version—part reconstruction, part resurrection.
The effort was supported by Italian American organizations, including the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations, which viewed the project as both cultural preservation and quiet defiance.
Baltimore, however, declined to reinstall the statue. The city decided to move in a new direction. Baltimore now embraces a new identity—the land of empty pedestals.
Secret Service have closed off Pennsylvania Avenue where the Columbus statue is now situated, next to the White House
⸻
Venite a Washington
Italian Americans everywhere must make the journey to see this statue of Columbus.
Come to Washington!
Stand in quiet witness to a figure who has long represented exploration, discovery, and the very origins of the American story. Whatever one’s view of Christopher Columbus, his place in history—and in the identity of generations of Italian Americans—cannot be dismissed.
Love him or criticize him, one cannot deny the intensity with which Donald Trump embraces American patriotism and tradition. In restoring Columbus to a place of prominence, he is appealing to a vision of America as exceptional—a nation born of bold voyages, ambition, and the spirit of the New World.
Yet, Washington itself tells another story.
Washington remains open, but it is no longer as accessible as it once was. Heightened security—driven by threats both foreign and domestic—has transformed the landscape of the nation’s capital.
Look no further than Pennsylvania Avenue. Arguably, the most famous street in America—where resides the White House—is closed to pedestrian traffic between 15th and 17th Streets. It’s been this way for some time.
Uniformed Secret Service officers now stand watch, armed and vigilant. National Guard troops patrol nearby. Layers of fencing and barricades define the perimeter. Only credentialed personnel are permitted close access—and only they enjoy an unobstructed view of the new Columbus statue.
The Eisenhower Executive Office Building sits at the corner of 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, just beyond these barriers. There, behind security lines, the statue stands—white, luminous, and just out of reach.
Columbus can be seen, but only faintly. A proper photograph requires a telephoto lens. The familiar ritual of standing beside a monument, of taking a simple photograph, is no longer possible. Columbus is visible—but distant, guarded, almost symbolic in his separation.
How long he will remain there is an open question. In today’s political climate, even monuments have uncertain futures. Columbus is welcome in the current White House—but whether that welcome endures will depend on who occupies it next.
____
Onoriamo sempre Colombo!
For now, however, this moment belongs to those who preserved him.
It is a moment to acknowledge the efforts of Basil Russo, Andre DiMino, and the many Italian American organizations that refused to let this symbol disappear. Their work has brought Columbus back—not to Baltimore, but to the center of American power.
And so the invitation stands:
Come to Washington!
Come see Columbus standing once more—resilient, restored, and still part of the American story.
Come to the nation’s capital—named, fittingly, for the man whose voyage helped shape the world that followed.
Come…Celebrate Columbus! Celebrate America!
Editor’s Note:
The web site for the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations is https://copomiao.org
The web site for the Italian American One Voice Coalition is: https://www.iaovc.org
The web site for the White House allows Italian Americans to thank President Trump for installing the Columbus statue: https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/
A letter from President Trump to Basil Russo regarding the donation of the Columbus statue.
March 22, 2026
Mr. Basil Russo
Yonkers, New York
Dear Basil,
I send my thanks to you and the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations for your incredible generosity in gifting the Federal Government a beautiful statue of Christopher Columbus. The statue is now residing on the north side of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House campus.
Christopher Columbus was the original American hero and one of the most gallant and visionary men to ever walk the face of the Earth. Guided by steadfast prayer and unwavering fortitude and resolve, Columbus’ voyage in 1492 carried thousands of years of wisdom, philosophy, reason, and culture across the Atlantic into the Americas—paving the way for the ultimate triumph of Western civilization less than three centuries later on July 4, 1776.
As you know, the statue you generously gifted is an exact replica of the Columbus statue that stood for more than three decades in the Inner Harbor in Baltimore, Maryland—from when it was first dedicated by President Ronald Reagan in October 1984 until it was torn down by anti-American rioters and thrown into the harbor on July 4, 2020. I am truly honored that this magnificent statue will now sit on the grounds of the White House.
The statue was placed on the White House campus together with a second statue titled Freedom’s Charge, a life-size sculpture representing the revolutionary struggle to win America’s independence. These statues represent the inspiring historical progression of the American story and will stand as an eternal memorial to courage, adventure, and the noblest aspirations of the human spirit as well as the extraordinary pride of our wonderful Italian American community.
Thank you once again for the tremendous generosity of the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations. May God bless you, and may He continue to bless the United States of America.
Sincerely,
[Signature]
READ HERE THE NEW EDITION - FIRST 2026 PRIMO
—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Please visit our DVDs Page to shop our latest collection of DVDs on all things Italian: Films from Italy's Golden Age, Documentaries on Italian American life, ancient Rome, and religion.
Please visit our Books' page to review our latest inventory of books on all things Italian: cookbooks, history, art and culture.
Other articles to read...
