I have lived in the East Bronx neighborhood of Morris Park practically my entire life. Predominantly Italian until recently, Morris Park still retains a strong Italian flavor.
The Italian language of the neighborhood Nonas fills my ears; the first dishes I cooked without Mom’s help were all Italian (the ingredients purchased at nearby fruit and vegetable stands, butchers, and delis brimming with goods imported from Italy); when my parents took the family on the Grand Tour of Europe, naturally Italy was on the itinerary.
I am not Italian by birth, but I am by osmosis. Therefore, I feel very acutely the anguish of the Italian community throughout the East Bronx, bewildered that their culture is being trashed, their history is being destroyed, and that they are being denounced as racist if they object to the toppling or defacing of statues of Christopher Columbus throughout the United States.
Social Justice Warriors and their anarchist shock troops carrying out this wanton destruction are, as usual, utterly ignorant of history. When they’re not busy pulling down statues of Columbus, they’ve been attacking statues and monuments honoring prominent abolitionists and black soldiers who fought with the Union Army to free blacks from slavery.
Clearly, nobody in the rage-stoked mob has the wit to Google the history of the public art that has become the Left’s latest target – or has the reading comprehension skills to understand words on the plaque explaining the commendatory deeds of the person(s) honored.