- The president of the University of Notre Dame announced Sunday that it would cover up murals of Christopher Columbus.
- Columbus’ treatment of Native Americans was cited by the president as the reason.
The president of the University of Notre Dame sent an email to all students Sunday night, informing them of the school’s decision to cover up an on-campus mural of Christopher Columbus.
President John Jenkins wrote “as we prepare to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day…at Notre Dame, I write to let you know of a recent decision,” in an email obtained by Campus Reform. “The murals by Luigi Gregori that adorn the ceremonial entrance to Notre Dame’s Main Building depict the life and exploration of Christopher Columbus.”
Jenkins continued by saying that the mural, which dates back to 1882-1884, was originally intended as a response to the school’s mostly Catholic immigrant population. Columbus, it is believed, was also Catholic.
[RELATED: College speaker suggests American colonization was ‘illegal’]
“In recent years, however, many have come to see the murals as at best blind to the consequences of Columbus’ voyage for the indigenous peoples who inhabited this ‘new’ world and at worst demeaning toward them,” Jenkins wrote.
Jenkins added that the arrival of Columbus to the “new world” was a “catastrophe” for native Americans. He added, “whatever else Columbus’ arrival brought, for these peoples it led to exploitation, expropriation of land, repression of vibrant cultures, enslavement, and new diseases causing epidemics that killed millions.”
But, Jenkins continued, the historic pieces painted on the plaster of the walls, were “not intended to slight indigenous peoples, but to encourage another marginalized group.”
“Gregori’s murals focused on the popular image of Columbus as an American hero, who was also an immigrant and a devout Catholic. The message to the Notre Dame community was that they too, though largely immigrant and Catholics, could be fully and proudly American,” he wrote.
[RELATED: Pepperdine removes Columbus statue, then Columbus impersonator]
Within his letter, the president mentions that these murals would soon no longer be visible from the busy hallway to the thousands of University of Notre Dame students, faculty members, and visitors who pass them, many on a daily basis. Rather, he said, the university would immediately begin the production of woven coverings to leave the aged art intact, yet covered and hidden from view.
This is hardly the first time the murals have stirred controversy on the Notre Dame campus. In 1995, a group of Native American students fought to remove the murals. Despite their request, the murals remained. Instead, information pamphlets emphasizing the historical context of the era were distributed to visitors. Updated again in the 2000s, the murals remained until 2017, when a petition circulated and 340 students raised criticism that the pieces condone stereotypes for black and Native peoples, also asserting that they celebrate the evils of slavery.
[RELATED: Pepperdine students call Columbus statue ‘celebration of genocide’]
After much consideration, Jenkins along with a faculty board, vowed only to allow the murals to be displayed for certain and rare circumstances. Removing the art from the walls would cause their complete destruction, since it is painted on the plaster. Jenkins said that there would instead be a “permanent display for high-quality, high-resolution images of the murals in a campus setting to be determined that will be conducive to such an informed and careful consideration.”
UND junior John O’Neill, a political science major, reacted to the decision by telling Campus Reform that the solution is not to cover up history.
“We can be proud of the history of the institution, especially the history built on the backs of historically marginalized immigrant groups such as the Italians and Irish. ‘Covering up’ tricky points of history, such as racial injustice, isn’t a way to solve the problem. Christopher Columbus is not a perfect guy, but keeping in mind the certain light it was first portrayed is important,” O’Neill said.
“History isn’t just the good things that have happened, it’s also the bad. You have to keep that in mind. These paintings don’t condone the actions; they are meant as inspiration. Covering it up should not be a justified way to approach a solution,” he added.
The Native American Student Association of Notre Dame issued a statement via Facebook, applauding Jenkins’ decision.
“The Native American Student Association of Notre Dame is thankful for Father Jenkins’ thoughtful and wise decision. This is a good step towards acknowledging the full humanity of those Native people who have come before us. We sincerely hope that Father Jenkins and his administration will continue to prioritize Native issues on our campus in the coming weeks and months as there is still work to be done,” the student group’s statement read.
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Look!
The slow-motion rape of American history and culture in broad daylight by the people who ought to be protecting it.
Didn’t Nelson Mandela discover America, or was that the airplane he invented.
Check Google, it was probably some black guy…
You must be a hammer because you —— –!
” still work to be done”……. Once you cede ground to victimology, it is NEVER enough. You will stumble backwards forever.
The world’s two largest standing Buddhas, 1700 years old, one of them 165ft high, were blown up by the Taliban in Afghanistan in 2001. Nut job zealots there too.
I will never celebrate the Sacrifice of my Civil Rights on the Altar to the Black Man. MLK is an Idol they worship who is probably in Hell, while they denigrate the King of Kings who is the true inspiration for their Freedom. They are pompous hypocrites who claim to be victims of racism while they receive every benefit a Communist government can bestow on them while oppressing White males Constitutional “Equal under the Law” Civil Rights. I despise every Black holiday and Privilege. They are inferior intellectually yet are given the Cat Bird Seats in this upside down wicked failing society. They have made me their intractable Enemy; I will celebrate their destruction.
Robert you will be called oh so the racist for speaking so eloquently the truth to facts. However, if anyone can provide me some answers it would be appreciated. Is there or has there been ever in history for more than 250 years any nation or country run by heavily pigmented peoples that lasted 250 years and was considered wealthy for that reign? Seems ever town, city, county or state that becomes overrun by blacks in leadership positions, those end up in complete ruin and fraud and coercion and failure or bankruptcy. Please inform me of any town, city, municipaltiy, state thatbhas been run by blacks for 30 years or more and is not bankrupt.
Please continue tomdestroy the gift horse that feeds you destroy the white man and enjoy eating the grass you walk on and wonder why it all failed. Dipshits everywhere i look.
You have obviously not traveled to Wakanda lately my friend.
Had to look it up; it’s more wonderful than anything Whites have. All the people are beautiful, intelligent, and rich; you just have to ride a rainbow a thousand miles over mud roads to get there.
Well shit, as a craddle catholic it seems we should also denigrate the church for the inquisitions, holy wars, paid indulgences, and crusades. The CRUSADES! The catholic pope ordered the crusades and did much worse damage to peoples and countries than Columbus could have imagined! Maybe the catholic church should be disolved since it cannot be covered up. The only thing they seem to be good at covering up is 90% of priest are gay and pedophilia is rampant within its ranks. But lets pick on one white dude that was an explorer paid by the church and king to find new lands. Many other men of color were doing the exact same. But lets single out Columbus…….idiots. I am done with them all.
The crusades? Are you fucking serious?
I guess all the wealthy alum who donate to Notre Dame approve of this?
I guess they didn’t mind the Nike decal on the players uniform after the Kaprenick incident, so why not continue to push the envelope?
What the “good” Catholics over at University of Notre Dame du Lac really need to do to assuage their guilt is to not only destroy the God damned mural, but in fact to donate the entire university; lock, stock, and barrel, to the American Indian Movement, The Urban League, the Nation of Islam, or maybe even Planned Parenthood.
Think a super fine conversion just like the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. Some nice minarets can be easily added to the former Basilica. Melting down the Golden Dome for reparations would also be a splendid sign of remorse and shame.
.
I eagerly anticipate The Holy See’s encyclical regarding this victory for forward, progressive, inclusive Catholic thinking-in-action.
In the same spirit, can we also hope that the Pope Frankie will finally submit to the will of Allah and provide a home at the Vatican for about 50,000 Muslim refugees? (There is plenty of space over at the Vatican Museums as I remember.) They are their own country after all and it is a matter of principle and not money. Right?
One final thing, the logo for U.N.D. (with that offensive cross and everything) has GOT TO GO!.
//SARC OFF//
Still, The Knights of Columbus are not going to be happy with all this.
And where is their outrage and response to their senior leadership that refuses to deal with Child abuse, pedophilia and male rape?
Yeah. Cover that shit up. Put up Ronald McDonald on a crucifix instead.
Jenkins: Fail. Bow to pressure from outsider fringe minority who demand inclusion into a house built by Catholics, then bitch about how the place is adorned with true artistic talent gifts…attaching some psycho babble about the artist’s subject, purportedly because of mistreatment.
They should expect all the Natives and blacks who signed that petitio. Ungrateful, petty pansie asses. Strap on some gratitude.
Jenkins, strap on a set of balls.
Alumni, pull funding.
Enough of this BS.
Aside from the fact that Columbus did not discover the Americas, this is expected. When you hear the term “New Age”, run for the smelling salts as you will need them.
A “New Age” will always entail rewritten history and a new language along with a new written language that keeps the inhabitants of this entertainment planet from reading what is left behind from the prior populations. We are on the brink of having the slate wiped clean for the beginnings of what is to come.
This is a fart in the wind compared to the giant eraser that will turn your world upside-down.
For 10 years I serviced the Notre Dame HP computers (software only). For the most part I HATED it.
Snowflake libtard snot-nosed bratty over-privileged kids (mostly white) who truly believed their shit didn’t stink. And the professors were worse, far worse. And the various (computer) System Administrators I had to deal with were dumber than a box of rocks, who believed themselves to be Einsteins.
From what I’ve read elsewhere this is possibly the painting that was deemed most offensive …. you know, Columbus forcing Christiainty down the throats of the noble Indian blah blah blah
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You mean “forcing catholicism down the throats…”
At least you didn’t have to grow up near Sodom and Gomorrah on the Charles River and all their shitty institutions of lower leaning.
Hot take on MLK day by Richard Houck
https://www.counter-currents.com/2019/01/remembering-martin-luther-king-jr/
I saw the ‘consequences’ of Columbus’ epic voyage just the other day in the news. There stood an old Indian culturally appropriating the white man’s glasses as he stood beating a drum ( the only musical instrument other than an animal horn of the American aborigine) in front of a teenaged boy. Why he did not go to medicine man to have vision fixed is my question.
The former savage also claims to have been a Vietnam Vet but seems to have been born in 1955 which would have made him too young to have gone to Vietnam unless he went as a tourist. I suspect he speak with forked tongue and is taking benefits from the Great White Father in Washington as beating a drum in D.C. isn’t a high paying position unless you are Don Henley or Ringo Starr!
Why is it so hard for these people to understand that they were conquered? Although they did manage to whip Custer in the battle of the Little Bighorn, they lost the War to the white man. Losers don’t get to call the shots.
Custer was a PSYOP.
Yes, they had military intelligence PSYOPS even back then!
http://mileswmathis.com/custer.pdf
hey winnie,
if we asked miles mathis about every worldwide major event in the last 300 years,how many do you think he would say was not a psyops?
Good question.
When something major and real goes down (which is rare) the fucking intelligence hacks swoop in like vultures and grab the narrative and spin, so I’m not sure it matters much.
q7,
when the winners disarm but allow the losers to keep their weapons,the results are predictable–
Except at their casino.
We need to make a decision as a people if we want to continue to nitpick at our heritage and past, or if we’re ready to leave it alone and move forward. If we choose the former there will be no history and everything will be painted beige so as not to offend.
If ya’ll Yankees steal our Rebel History/Heritage, we’ll just take it back again and FU up. We ain’t touching the disgusted liberal crap you are trying to pass off as NYC Culture.