History lesson

To the editor:

It’s perplexing to hear Andrew Cuomo take personal offense for negativity towards Christopher Columbus’ image. Cuomo, if he recalls any history lessons from his years at Archbishop Molloy, should know that Italians and their city-state leaders, along with other Europeans, ridiculed Columbus and refused to finance his venture to circumvent the globe traveling west.  

Columbus, moved to Portugal, married, had a son, widowed, relocated to Spain and fathered another child with a Spaniard — never again returning to Italy, nor communicating in his native tongue. He, who kept detailed diaries, never mentioned his birthplace — likely Genoa. It was the Spanish crown, Fernando and Isabel, that provided financing for his first voyage, using funds from the coffers of Granada’s conquered Muslim rulers. For most of his life, Cristóbal Colón (Columbus) spoke only Castilian Spanish and Portuguese. In 1493, upon his return from that first voyage, was granted a coat of arms by the Spanish crown. That insignia depicted, on the first quadrant, a castle in honor of Castilla — Isabel’s kingdom. On the second a lion honoring León —  Fernando’s kingdom. The third represented the islands encountered in his voyage. Lastly — and most telling — the fourth was reserved for his birthplace.

Colón chose to not honor his roots, instead depicting golden anchors representing the title of admiral of the seas granted by Spain. Cuomo’s theatrically admonishing those who do not honor this controversial figure’s memory as an attack on Italians is laughable. Colón must be doing flips in his Spanish grave after having been treated as an outcast in his birthplace. 

Cuomo should instead promote pride in praiseworthy Italians we all admire — such as Francis of Assisi and Catherine of Siena — who worked tirelessly to help the poor, but, sadly, they do not score political points.

Rebeca Pagan-Rodriguez