WESTERLY — An online program created to better understand a sensitive, complicated issue will be available to everyone with access to a computer and the Zoom application this week.
"Columbus: From Quarry to the Park," a collaboration between the Babcock-Smith House Museum and Westerly Library and Wilcox Park, will be presented virtually on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. as part of "Community Voices: History in Balance," a series that grew out of discourse surrounding Westerly's controversial Christopher Columbus statue, according to Brigitte Hopkins, executive director of Westerly Library and Wilcox Park.
The statue, carved from blue Westerly granite by the Joseph Coduri Granite Co., has stood for decades in Wilcox Park on the esplanade across from Town Hall. For many, the statue is a tribute to Westerly's Italian heritage. For others, it's a symbol of genocide and a reminder of the enslavement of indigenous people.
Hopkins, who co-chairs the library's Education Subcommittee with Louis M. Toscano of Westerly, said the idea for the series was to "expand upon some of the related narratives so that people can form their own opinions."
Toscano, a retired Pine Point School teacher, said that back in the summer, when statues of Christopher Columbus were being toppled in cities and towns around the country, a group of concerned local citizens formed a committee to explore the thorny issue and to ponder the future of Westerly's own statue.
"We were determined we should do everything in our power to understand the issues," said Toscano. "We wanted to make sure we had all the information we could ... and we wanted to save our statue."
Out of the initial meetings came the idea to create better signage near the statue in order to put it in historical context, to make information available on the library website, and continue to research and offer educational programs, Toscano said.
Like all good libraries, Hopkins said, "we want to make a variety of informational resources available about Christopher Columbus, Indigenous peoples, our local granite industry and Italian Americans."
"We wanted to get people talking, not fighting," said Toscano, noting that from the initial meetings, a decision was made to explore ways to present "all sides of all issues."
Toscano said the idea was to talk to as many people as people as possible, gather as much information as possible about Westerly history and the people who contributed to it, and then to share the findings.
Other members of the committee include Westerly residents Betty-Jo Cugini-Greene, Mary Goodman, Ian Newbury and Peter Ogle.
Toscano called the research process overwhelming, fascinating and remarkable.
"It's been amazing," said Toscano. "We are learning so much about this town."
There is so much more to learn, he said.
Toscano said committee members have been reading books and researching stories together and on their own. They've learned about Venture Smith, the legendary African prince who was forced into slavery and lived in nearby Connecticut, about possible local stops on the Underground Railroad and about slaves living and working at Pawcatuck's Davis Farm.
Hopkins said Westerly Library librarians are working on creating "pathfinders," which will include links to books, reference materials, documentaries, databases, and websites to complement topics covered in the series.
In October, the committee invited Dawn Dove, a tribal elder of the Narragansett tribe; Sherenté Harris, a Narragansett and a third-year dual-degree student at Brown University and Rhode Island School of Design; and Nkéke Harris, also Narragansett, and a Running Start student at CCRI to talk about social change.
In November, Carol Lowery Delaney, a lifetime academic with a doctorate in cultural anthropology who wrote, "Columbus and the Quest for Jerusalem," moderated a question-and-answer session and discussion.
Wednesday's Zoom program will be conducted by researchers Ellen Madison and Linda Smith Chaffee, both of whom serve on the museum's board of trustees. Chaffee is a descendant of one of Westerly's original granite families, the Smiths, and Madison is a direct descendant of the Saunders family. The two women co-authored "Built From Stone: The Westerly Granite Story," a book about the Westerly granite industry, along with John Coduri, a descendant of the family who built Westerly's Columbus statue.
The program will trace the history and production of the statue, Madison said, it's artistic significance and the skill of the artisans involved with its creation.
"We are looking at a statue created for Westerly people by Westerly craftsmen, people who were proud of their work," Madison said.
The origins of the statue go back to the late 1800s, she added, when residents "did some serious fundraising" to get the statue designed and made. When it was dedicated in 1949, thousands of Westerly residents were involved in one way or another, according to newspaper accounts.
"We talk about Columbus, the statue, not Columbus, the man," said Madison, a retired teacher with a doctorate in education. "Linda does a wonderful job of talking about the statue as a piece of art."
On a recent Friday morning, masked and socially-distanced, members of the Education Subcommittee met at the museum's Carriage House to hear a talk by museum trustee Ed Fazio about the granite display at the museum's Carriage House in preparation of Wednesday's program and to plan for upcoming programs. In December, Toscano said, they hope to present a children's program that will include activities like instructions for learning to carve using a bar of soap.
"This has been a tremendous experience," Hopkins said, noting that her own "personal historical narrative" has continued to evolve, the more she learns.
"The best is yet to come," said Toscano.
To register for the program, visit https://westerlylibrary.org/events/2020/11/23/community-voices-columbus-quarry-park.
https://www.thewesterlysun.com/news/westerly/committee-seeks-to-provide-more-context-for-westerlys-columbus-statue-with-new-film/article_dacc1baa-30c5-11eb-ae1a-87d94b7da786.html
2020-11-29 01:55:00Z
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