Columbus Day events planned for Syracuse

The legacy of Christopher Columbus will be commemorated Monday by a wreath-laying and luncheon, and questioned during a panel discussion and community conversation, as Syracuse observes Columbus Day. The Columbus Monument Association will conduct its 33rd wreath-laying ceremony at 11 a.m. Monday at the monument to the explorer at Columbus Circle, East Jefferson and Montgomery streets, said association President...

View full sizeGary Walts / The Post-StandardSyracuse parks department employee Larry Adams places a wreath at the base of the Columbus monument during the wreath-laying ceremony in 2009 at Columbus Circle in Syracuse.

The legacy of Christopher Columbus will be commemorated Monday by a wreath-laying and luncheon, and questioned during a panel discussion and community conversation, as Syracuse observes Columbus Day.

The Columbus Monument Association will conduct its 33rd wreath-laying ceremony at 11 a.m. Monday at the monument to the explorer at Columbus Circle, East Jefferson and Montgomery streets, said association President Michael Vavonese.

Developer Joseph T. Scuderi, this year’s recipient of the Joseph J. Pietrafesa Award for contributions to the community, will lay the wreath.

The association’s annual luncheon follows at noon at the grand ballroom at Oncenter. Dr. Fred Pestello, president of Le Moyne College, will speak. Children from the Josephine Federico School of Music will sing. Tickets are $23. Call Vavonese at 471-0128 for reservations.

The panel discussion, “Legacies of Columbus,” is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Grant Auditorium at the Syracuse University College of Law. The program is intended to look beyond Columbus’ legend to make a critical examination of his impact on indigenous peoples, South and Central Americans, border crossers andboundary makers.

Panelists include Audra Simpson, assistant professor of anthropology at Columbia University; Gladys McCormick, assistant professor of history at SU, and Silvio Torres-Saillant, an SU English professor. The event is sponsored by La Casita Cultural Center and the SU Native American Studies Department. Admission is free.

Contact John Mariani at jmariani@syracuse.com or 470-3105.